Congress is trying to give even more power to Hollywood
[Philip Lelyveld comment: inflamatory headline. The bill may give more power to one group, but it is still trying to control things that are technologically beyond control.]
On March 23rd, Reps. Bob Goodlatte and John Conyers introduced a controversial bipartisan bill with over 100 years of history behind it, though you wouldn’t know it from its boring name and seemingly boring topic. It’s called the Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act of 2017 — the key part is that it makes the Register of Copyright a political position appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. That’s in contrast to the current state of affairs, which has been in existence since the creation of the Copyright Office in 1897.
Right now, the Copyright Office is a part of the Library of Congress, and the head of the office — known as the Register of Copyrights — is appointed by the Librarian of Congress, who, in turn is appointed by the president, and approved by the Senate.
Supporters of this bill (and there are many) argue that the location of the Copyright Office within the Library of Congress is merely an “accident of history,” brought about by the sixth Librarian of Congress, Ainsworth Rand Spofford, who wished to turn the dilapidated and often ignored Library of Congress into a world-class institution with a comprehensive collection of all American created works. Spofford realized that by housing the copyright registration function within the library, it would mean that everyone wishing to obtain a copyright would have to send a deposit copy, and the library’s collection would magically grow. The Copyright Act of 1870 made this arrangement the law.
Copyright itself has become a much bigger, and more important issue in the past few decades — in large part thanks to the rise of the internet, and the conflicts that arose because of it. In 1978 the copyright law in the US changed to a mandatory system, whereby any new and creative work was given automatic copyright — whether you wanted it or not — for your life plus another 70 years. Prior to that, the system had been opt-in only, where you had to register and follow certain formalities to obtain a copyright, that could, at a maximum last 56 years.
See the full story here: http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/3/15161522/mpaa-riaa-copyright-office-library-of-congress-dmca-infringement
Is Amazon Following Microsoft’s Lead in Augmented Reality?
For the rumored homewares push, the idea will likely be the same -- to offer self-checkout for smaller items, delivery for larger items, and discounts for Prime members. Assuming that you have pictures of your living room, you can potentially project the home furnishings into your home like the IKEA app.
Since these brick-and-mortar stores all give preferential treatment to Prime members, that expansion can boost the growth of the Prime ecosystem. Last June, research firm CIRP estimated that Amazon had 63 million Prime members in the U.S., a 19 million increase from a year earlier. It also estimated that the average Prime member spent $1,200 annually at Amazon, while non-members spent just $500.
Augmented Reality And Loneliness: Magali Barbé’s ‘Strange Beasts’
A new video entitled ‘Strange Beasts’ has been doing the rounds on social media this week. Directed by Magali Barbé, the film purports to be a trailer for the next generation of augmented reality gaming — but in actual fact, it is a short fictional work, and a commentary on the increasing encroachment of virtual reality and augmented reality upon our lives.
A sense of unease, which will be familiar to viewers of Charlie Brooker’s “Black Mirror” series, quickly sets in.
It’s an impressive bit of film-making, well narratized and with expertly rendered CGI monsters. The effect is convincing — this could well be the next thing in augmented reality technology — and it plays against expectations to ensure that the ending is a shock; I knew something was going awry, but I somehow expected Weber to fall into loud madness, rather than the quiet loneliness we see.
See the full story here: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-townsend/strange-beasts_b_15686092.html
Gorillaz’ ‘Saturnz Barz (Spirit House)’ Has the Most Successful Debut for a VR Music Video: Exclusive
The video received well over three million views in its first 48 hours (it has since surpassed five million), making it the biggest debut for a VR music video in YouTube's history, which the service revealed exclusively to Billboard.
See the full story and the VIDEO here: http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7744259/gorillaz-saturnz-barz-spirit-house-youtube-record-debut
How Will Artificial Intelligence Help the Aging?
“One of the key premises behind ElliQ is that technology is complicated and perhaps too complex for aging people to use,” Béhar says. “But artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to engage with a person in a much simpler way. It can remind a person to take their meds, or connect with their family, or just tell them, ‘Hey, why not go outside. It’s nice out.’
“And we felt that EllliQ should be a table object, rather than a creepy robot that follows you around,” he adds. “By keeping it in one room, a person can interact with it like they would a familiar appliance in a familiar context.”
It’s also critical that ElliQ keeps learning. As Skuler explains it, one of the first steps in establishing a relationship with this particular robot is to set some goals, such as how many times a week a person wants to go out for a walk or be reminded to see friends. Then, it’s up to ElliQ to determine the most effective way to do its job. In other words, it will learn that one person responds better to “It’s nice out, why don’t you go for a walk,” while another needs to be prodded more aggressively with “You’ve been on the couch watching TV for four hours. Time to get up and take a walk.”
Behar sees the device more as a coach than a companion. He acknowledged the risk of making machines too engaging, and thereby encouraging more social isolation, not less.
“We don’t want to create the kind of emotional dependency that social media sometimes does,” he says.
He’s encouraged by the recent big leaps in voice recognition by machines because it allows older people to use technology without having to mess with smartphones or typing on small keyboards.
...we do not want the technology to drive our human values. We want our human values to drive our technology.”
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See the full story here: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-will-artificial-intelligence-help-aging-180962682/