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Adobe, Twitter and the New York Times are tired of seeing fake media propagate, and they're teaming up to do something about it. The trio has launched a Content Authenticity Initiative that aims to create a standard for digital media attribution. I…
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YouTube star Jarvis banned from ‘Fortnite’ over cheating
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Critics like The Fortnite Guy have argued that a permanent ban was unfair to Jarvis, pointing out that he got a permanent ban while players who cheated in a pro tournament got away with a temporary ban and even competed in the Fortnite World Cup. In theory, Epic was playing favorites.
However, Epic stressed in a statement that it has a “zero tolerance policy” for the use of cheating software. The pro players were teaming (cooperating when they were supposed to be rivals) where Jarvis was modifying the game itself. Also, while cheating in esports is damaging, aimbots and similar game hacks sour the game for many more people. Like other game developers, Epic doesn’t want to risk gamers leaving in frustration with cheaters who ruin their experiences.
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Pixel 4 update lets Smooth Display kick in more often
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The same update also brings unspecified “camera quality improvements” to Pixel 4 owners, while those with older models also see improvements for Google Assistant’s hotword, Xbox Bluetooth controller mapping and problems with getting stuck during the boot process. If you have a Pixel phone that still receives updates (sorry original Pixel owners), you’ll likely want to install this update sooner rather than later.
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Twitter bans accounts related to Hamas and Hezbollah
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Over the weekend, Twitter suspended multiple accounts related to militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, according to The Wall Street Journal. The move represents a reversal from Twitter’s previous position on the two organizations. In the past, the company had said that it differentiated between the political and military arms of Hamas and Hezbollah, a stance that put Twitter at odds with other tech companies, including Facebook and Google, and effectively allowed the groups to continue using the platform.
The company has yet to issue a statement on the takedown, though navigating to those accounts show they violated Twitter’s terms of service. We’ve reached out to the company for further information, and we’ll update this article when we hear back.
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Top Twitch streamer CouRage jumps to YouTube
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CouRage will be a familiar face to streaming and esports fans. He has more than 2.1 million Twitch followers and already had a sizable presence on YouTube with almost 1.9 million subscribers. Along with streaming his own gameplay, Dunlop’s known for esports hosting and commentating, including at Call of Duty and Fortnite events. He’ll remain part of gaming organization 100 Thieves as a content creator.
Moving to YouTube instead of Mixer seems to make sense for CouRage. He suggested he’s keen to expand beyond gaming, hinting (somewhat jokingly) at making trickshot, cooking and ASMR videos in his announcement video. YouTube perhaps lends itself better to more structured videos like those than the streaming-focused Twitch and Mixer. His first YouTube stream takes place Tuesday.
“I’m very excited to continue expanding my relationship with my YouTube audience as well as leverage the platform for new collabs and experiences,” CouRage told the Hollywood Reporter. “This deal with YouTube allows me to create more content and engage with my fans in real time.”
He’s a solid get for YouTube as top streaming services battle over talent. Over the last few months, major names Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek (who both share a management team with CouRage) and Cory “Gothalion” Michael moved from Twitch to Mixer. In August, Twitch signed Fortnite player Nicholas “Nick Eh 30” Amyoony away from YouTube, which last week locked down another Fortnite streamer, Lachlan Power (who has more than 12 million subscribers) to an exclusive deal.
The departure of yet another big name in just a few months might be a troubling sign for Twitch. Those streamers who have departed seem to be concerned with more than the financial aspects of their decisions. Ninja’s manager and wife Jessica Blevins said Twitch “did not listen to us” and that a contract the service wanted him to sign would limit his brand and licensing potential.
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Hideo Kojima says his game studio may venture into filmmaking
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Kojima’s film influences became obvious in 1998’s Metal Gear: Solid. The PlayStation hit was a 3D update to Hideo Kojima’s earlier Metal Gear games, which were released on 8-bit computers like the MSX. The game stunned audiences with its visual atmosphere, orchestral soundtrack and dramatic dialogue that set the bar for future triple-A action games. With each new entry into the Metal Gear franchise, Kojima pushed for longer and longer cutscenes, which divided gamers’ opinions and gave the designer a reputation for sacrificing gameplay for narrative. Many critics asked the rhetorical question, “Why doesn’t Kojima just make movies?”
Kojima was fired from his decades-long career at Konami in 2015. Upon announcing his own studio, fans wondered if the eccentric game designer would be able to create a coherent game now that Konami’s executives weren’t there to reel him in when he got too creative. The studio’s first release, Death Stranding, doesn’t seem to have provided a definitive answer, with some critics praising the game and others characterizing it as a glorified fetch-quest. Fans can get their hands on the game when it launches later this week.
It’s hard to tell how serious Kojima was when making the comment to the BBC. His quote, “in the future, Kojima Productions will start making films,” is pretty vague, after all. He didn’t elaborate on how he would approach filmmaking, whether the studio would focus on CGI animations or live-action productions or how a film project could affect game projects. It could very well be the case that, whether or not he’s ready to walk the walk, Kojima was just voicing his desire to make movies. Either way, it’s unlikely that anything will materialize for years to come.
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MIT and Ford help delivery robots navigate to your doorstep
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The clues can be described in general terms, like “front door” or “garage.” As MIT explains, the robot might be trained to know that a driveway often leads to a sidewalk which likely leads to the front door.
“Even if a robot is delivering a package to an environment it’s never been to, there might be clues that will be the same as other places it’s seen,” said Michael Everett, a graduate student in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. “So the world may be laid out a little differently, but there’s probably some things in common.”
The technique uses pre-existing algorithms that looks at visual data and labels the scene with semantic clues, like “sidewalk.” The researchers used those algorithms to build a map as their robot moved around. What’s new about their approach is that they allowed the robot to make decisions and determine the most efficient path to a destination. The team will present their findings at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems this week.
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Google’s Play Points program rewards you for downloading apps
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To join the program, launch the Play Store app on your Android smartphone and then tap the three lines icon located inside the search bar at the top interface. You’ll then see a menu item called “Play Points.” The program is free to join, and you can earn points on everything you buy from the Play Store, including in-app purchases and subscriptions. You can earn additional points by downloading a rotating list of featured apps each week, as well as taking advantage of weekly promotions.
Once you have some points, you can redeem them for Play Store credit, in addition to in-app purchases — which might make that secret Candy Crush Saga addiction a tad more affordable. Lastly, you can donate the points to a variety of nonprofits.
With each dollar spent, you also move closer to a higher rewards tier. There are four tiers in total. Each one comes with additional perks. The most notable bonus is that you earn more points per dollar spent than in the previous category. With the platinum tier, for instance, you get 1.4 points per dollar compared to one point per dollar in the bronze tier. The catch is that you have to maintain a certain level of spending to stay in a specific category.
If you want to earn additional Play Store credits, you can also download Google’s longstanding Opinion Rewards app, which lets you earn app rewards by giving your two cents on a variety of topics.
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Seth Meyers’ Netflix special will have a button to skip Trump jokes
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It’ll work similarly to the “Skip Intro” or “Next Episode” prompts you already see on Netflix. Meyers, who brought the idea to Netflix, told CNN the button is just “another joke in the special” and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. In fact, he doesn’t think many folks will actually use it.
Netflix has tried out other interactive features, such as with Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and the Minecraft: Story Mode game. While the Trump joke button might not have quite the same level of complexity, it’s a fun use of Netflix’s tech that’s unlikely to cause as much commotion as its test of variable playback speeds.
You’ll be able to try the button when Lobby Baby hits Netflix Tuesday. More broadly, it’s worth considering whether Netflix will adopt a “Skip Scene” button for other purposes. Earlier this year, it warned Our Planet viewers about possibly upsetting scenes they might want to zip past. It’s not impossible to imagine Netflix adding a button to skip potentially distressing sections of shows or movies.
As you make your way through @OurPlanet, here are some moments animal lovers may want to skip:
One Planet: 16:04 – 16:43
Frozen World: 16:29 – 17:47, 32:50 – 33:45, 48:45 – 51:00
Fresh Water: 26:10 – 27:09
Deserts and Grasslands: 28:45-29:10
High Seas: 37:42-37:52— Netflix US (@netflix) April 10, 2019
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Robot bees can crash into walls without taking damage
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The trick was to improve the power density through refined materials. The actuators are made with dielectric elastomers that deform under an electric field and have good insulating properties. Their upgraded electrode conductivity helps them operate at the same 500Hz as the stiff actuators found on other bots this size. They’re easy to assemble and replace, too, so you could scale up with more wings and actuators to handle more complex tasks. It took a model with four actuators and eight wings to hover in a controlled manner.
The technology still isn’t very efficient compared to conventional robots. Researchers hope to improve the technology, though, and they’d eventually like to sell it. If they do, there are numerous potential uses. Harvard imagines these robots being useful for search-and-rescue missions, where a robot might have to navigate dangerous rubble looking for survivors.
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