Digitizing analog processes can have steep learning curve. Robin Harris Even as a kid, I could see the visual difference between TV sitcoms – shot on videotape – and films. Video had a jarring sharpness that, paradoxically, made the picture less real. Films, with much higher resolution than video, looked more real, even though the motion blur and background softness – among other artifacts – are a […]
By Stanley White and Izumi Nakagawa | TOKYO TOKYO Japanese workers put up with long hours and unpaid overtime under pressure from cost-saving companies, and figures from government, which wants more money in workers’ pockets to boost consumer spending, appear to underestimate the problem. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to enact labor reforms as part of his “Abenomics” plan to end decades of stagnant growth and […]
Designer-to-the-stars Furne One, from the label Amato, rarely talks about his many achievements. Despite having found worldwide success dressing celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Katy Perry, the Dubai-based Filipino couturier’s reputation for being self-effacing precedes him. Seeking to shine a light on his talent is Los Angeles film producer, and founder of the Fashion News Lifestyle (FNL) network , Rocco Leo Gaglioti. His film, Inside Amato, […]
A new concept in energy harvesting could capture energy that is currently mostly wasted due to its characteristic low frequency and use it to power next-generation electronic devices. In a project funded by electronics giant Samsung, a team of Penn State materials scientists and electrical engineers has designed a mechanical energy transducer based on flexible organic ionic diodes that points toward a new direction in scalable energy […]
Facebook on Thursday unveiled a multi-part plan to fight fake news that includes teaming up with fact-checkers in the United States to cut down on the reach of bogus stories. The plan (which Poynter’s International Fact-checking Network is involved with) represents the first time Facebook has given fact-checkers the ability to verify news on its platform, and comes after months of public debate about the social media […]
Google Home just got more conversation actions, gaining new tricks that now allow users to order pizza, search WebMD for matters of the health, get the latest news and more. This follows the Netflix and Photos integration from earlier this month, adding to the versatility of Google Home and allowing users to handle more tasks with voice commands. Conversation actions for Google Home are somewhat similar to the […]
DUBAI // From building a steel bridge to link two towers to selecting glazing to prevent solar heat from damaging the glass facade, construction on The Opus has been a learning experience for engineers and architects alike. Consultancy Koltay Facades realised that the Sun’s intense rays could bounce off a curved surface on one side of the inner void and reflect on to the opposite side. The […]
A few days ago we wrote about the Harvard Professor, Larry Lessig, who was offering free legal services to any Republican elector willing to consider switching their vote from Trump to any other candidate when the electoral college meets on December 19th (see “Harvard Professor Says He’s Rallied Nearly Enough GOP Electors To Block Trump“). At the time, Lessig said he was in active discussions with […]
When Madonna and Oprah Winfrey publicly endorse your new product, it is perhaps safe to put in the order for that Rolls-Royce you have been promising yourself. When they did just that for Swiss watch and jewellery brand Philip Stein, it sent the company and its president, Will Stein, soaring to dizzying new heights. Stein flew from his base in Zurich to Abu Dhabi last month to […]
Good morning. Here’s our morning roundup of all the media news you need to know. Want to get this briefing in your inbox every morning? Subscribe here. Bob Dylan just won the Nobel Prize for Literature, enough said. “Poet laureate of the rock era.” But media critic, too? Patti Smith gained deserved attention for a notable performance of “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” at the Nobel ceremony […]
Microsoft is building out a number of “graphs,” or data indexes, across the company. There’s the Bing knowledge graph, the Office Graph, and now, the LinkedIn professional graph. This week, the company announced plans to add another graph to its stable: A “world graph.” It’s partnering with HERE, TomTom, and Esri to build this geographic data index. The data in the coming world graph isn’t just about […]
ATHENS Greece’s decision to give pensioners a one-off bonus has delayed the conclusion of its second bailout review but an agreement can still be reached in the coming months, EU Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis was quoted as saying on Saturday. Greece angered its lenders this month by announcing it would spend about 600 million euros on a Christmas bonus for low income pensioners after beating its fiscal […]
Your daily guide to community and cultural activities across the Emirates for December 18, 2016, including performances, festivals, art exhibitions, film screenings, health and fitness events, talks, classes, workshops and family fun. newslide Abu Dhabi Festival tickets Buy tickets for the Abu Dhabi Festival, which runs from March 14 to 31 and features artists across a variety of genres and nationalities, opening with Saudi singer Mohamed Abdo. […]
By all accounts, the June charity gala at Skylight, a Beaux-Arts building in midtown New York, was a very glitzy affair. Whoopi Goldberg served as master of ceremonies, while Naomi Campbell and Leonardo DiCaprio were among the A-list guests. The hosts for the evening were Martin Chavez, named this week as the next chief financial officer of Goldman Sachs, and his husband, Adam Norbury. In many respects […]
California has long been a breeding ground for innovation and has fostered pioneering tech companies ranging from Disney to Apple. But in terms of self-driving cars—and based on several recent developments—a much more conservative Michigan is taking the pole position in nurturing the technology. Michigan and particularly the Detroit area is an ideal incubator for autonomous technology since it’s the center of the automotive universe […]
2016 is definitely a memorable year for various reasons, but Google’s latest compilation of “Year in Search” reveals that much of the things that made the year memorable were because of huge losses. Not only for those in the United States but for everyone around the globe. The year marked losses due to disease, politics, and terrorism, and issues being searched about often divided the world as […]
There have been many paths to the White House over the centuries, but few as diverse or demanding as the one taken by Barack Obama. Now a new Netflix movie, Barry, explores the college days that raised his consciousness and shaped him into presidential material. Obama’s childhood was unusual, to say the least. He grew up in Hawaii, Jakarta and California, the son of a black Kenyan […]
Christmas is coming: an event as exciting for the toymakers hoping to fill stockings with this year’s hottest new playthings as it is for the children who will open them on December 25. Expectations of a bumper festive period have brought early Christmas presents for investors in companies such as Spin Master, Hasbro and Nintendo — manufacturers behind some of the biggest hits — that have all […]
Memories of Home Two weeks later, Mrs. Mohammad and her two daughters were propelled into a local Walmart by Bayan’s sheer force of will. She longed for a pair of sparkly purple sneakers, and begged, nagged and nearly cried until her mother agreed. As they navigated the aisles, mother and daughters looked like members of two different families. Mrs. Mohammad wore her head scarf, neck-to-toe gown and […]
Following yesterday’s biggest, market-moving geopolitical event, in which a US oceanographic vessel had its underwater drone “stolen” by a Chinese warship “literally right in front of the eyes of the American crew”, we predicted that everyone would be eagerly waiting for Trump to chime in on the topic, and further escalating the diplomatic spat between the two nations which now involves China confiscating US marine drones, the […]
The smart home is gaining ground, but it’s still a muddle of confusing standards, competing platforms, and gadgets that don’t do what you might expect. But the promise of products that can make your life a little easier is hard to resist, so I’m here to answer the inevitable questions that arise. Whether it’s figuring out the best connected door lock to assembling the right […]
Designer-to-the-stars Furne One, from the label Amato, rarely talks about his many achievements. Despite having found worldwide success dressing celebrities including Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé and Katy Perry, the Dubai-based Filipino couturier’s reputation for being self-effacing precedes him. Seeking to shine a light on his talent is Los Angeles film producer, and founder of the Fashion News Live (FNL) network, Rocco Leo Gaglioti. His film, Inside Amato, had […]
Wells Fargo has said the number of customers opening accounts has dropped sharply for a third consecutive month — underlining the scale of the fallout from the recent scandal over its sales tactics. Customers opened 41 per cent fewer Wells Fargo current accounts in November than they did a year ago and made 45 per cent fewer credit card applications. These figures cap another difficult week for […]
Submitted by Duane via Free Market Shooter blog, On Thursday, December 1st, Yasmin Seweid was allegedly assaulted by Trump supporters in NYC. According to BuzzFeed and the NY Daily News, the attack took place at the uptown 6 train stop at 23rd Street in midtown Manhattan. The assaliants allegedly called Seweid a terrorist, broke her bag strap, followed her when she tried to get away from them, […]
