Entertainment – Page 5

Automation, Automobiles, Driverless cars, Entertainment, Science & Technology News

The autonomous car is the next entertainment frontier

December 30, 2018

Self-driving cars are an inevitability and will unlock the potential for cars to transform beyond a simple means of transport.

In the not too distant future, drivers will find themselves with a great deal of free time in-car. Rather than having to focus on driving, time can be spent on working, being entertained, or simply relaxing.

In the near future, driving yourself will be about as popular as riding horses for transportation, according to Tesla Inc. CEO Elon Musk.

Continue reading… “The autonomous car is the next entertainment frontier”

Automobiles, Electric Vehicles, Entertainment, Science & Technology News

Future of Formula 1 is on fumes claims report

December 16, 2018

An interesting opinion on where Formula 1 is heading into the future by George Woods Baker, writing for Paddock Magazine, painting a bleak picture as the world moves towards electric cars rendering the pinnacle of the sport as we know it redundant in years to come.

Baker wrote: “When Alejandro Agag launched Formula E in 2014 as the first electric-powered championship, he did so as an alternative to what he saw as a wounded buck. He was dismissed by the Formula 1 paddock. He won’t last, they crowed. The cars were slow and required a lengthy pitstop halfway through the race to change cars!

Continue reading… “Future of Formula 1 is on fumes claims report”

Entertainment, Internet, Money Talk

How this 7- year old made $22 million playing with toys

December 13, 2018

Seven-year-old Ryan of YouTube fame has made it offline, too. The mini mogul now has a collection of toys and apparel sold at Walmart stores nationwide.

Ryan of Ryan Toysreview really isn’t that different from any other first grader. The 7-year-old loves trains and cars; he giggles over Disney characters; he builds entire civilizations with Legos.

Except when he plays, he does so in front of a camera. An adult, presumably, then promptly uploads these videos onto his YouTube channel for his millions of followers—most of whom are elementary-school-age peers.

Continue reading… “How this 7- year old made $22 million playing with toys”

Automation, Entertainment, Google

Google and Disney partner to bring storybooks to life

December 11, 2018

A new Google and Disney partnership brings Disney Storybooks to life. When reading out loud select Disney Little Golden Books, Google Home will add sound effects and soundtracks to accompany the story as it is read aloud. The new feature uses voice recognition to be able to tell when a reader has skipped ahead or gone back, and adjust the sound effects accordingly. If the user pauses reading, ambient music will play until the user begins reading again. This feature works on Google Home, Home Mini, and Home Max speakers in the US. To activate the action, say, “Hey Google, let’s read along with Disney.”

Continue reading… “Google and Disney partner to bring storybooks to life”

Entertainment, Great New Product, Health & Fitness, Home Technology

This $1,500 mirror streams live fitness classes to compete with Peloton and ClassPass

December 7, 2018

Another at-home fitness company is making its debut today. Mirror is coming out of stealth mode with the introduction of its eponymous device. It’s a mirror atop a 40-inch, 1080p vertical display that plays live or prerecorded fitness classes. The idea is that you can stand in front of the mirror, follow a trainer’s instructions that are displayed behind your reflection, and still see yourself working out. It’s in stark contrast to people having to prop their phones up to watch a class or working out in their living rooms because it’s where their TV is. The device costs $1,495. Yes, that’s right. It’s very expensive. With it, you get a heart rate monitor that straps across your chest and resistance bands. A monthly content subscription costs $39.

The device includes built-in speakers, so there’s no need to hook up external audio, although you can over Bluetooth. You can play your own music through Spotify Premium or rely on Mirror’s own music. The class will automatically load a playlist, but users can swap those out as they want. It also features a 5-megapixel built-in camera at the top with a privacy cover. This is only used if users pay for personal training sessions.

Continue reading… “This $1,500 mirror streams live fitness classes to compete with Peloton and ClassPass”

Advertising, Analysis, Entertainment

Here’s how much it costs to advertise in TV’s biggest shows

November 30, 2018

The cost of a commercial in some of the biggest shows on TV is getting lower.

Out of the 66 returning series on the big four broadcast networks and The CW, 41 saw the cost for a 30-second ad decrease in the 2018-19 season, according to Ad Age’s annual pricing survey of media agencies. Only 12 returning shows received a price hike, and another 13 remained relatively steady compared with last year.

And TV’s biggest property—the NFL—might have hit a ceiling in commercial prices, at least for now.

After two years of price hikes for a 30-second commercial in NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” those increases have stalled this season. Advertisers are paying $665,677 on average for a 30-second spot in the broadcast, about $30,000 less than the $699,602 advertisers paid last year.

Still, “Sunday Night Football” remains by far the most expensive TV show for advertisers (excluding Fox’s late-national NFL games on Sunday afternoons, which are not technically in prime time and average over $700,000 a pop).

Continue reading… “Here’s how much it costs to advertise in TV’s biggest shows”

App, Entertainment, Internet, Music

Spotify will now let artists directly upload their music to the platform

September 25, 2018

Spotify has announced a new beta feature that will allow independent artists to upload their music directly to the platform instead of through a label or digital aggregator. Normally, artists who aren’t signed to a major label (which can directly upload music to Spotify) have to pay a fee to a third-party service like Tunecore to upload their music to Spotify. The upload feature will be contained within the service’s existing Spotify for Artists platform, which, among other things, allows artists to view data about their listeners and directly submit their songs for editorial playlist consideration.

Continue reading… “Spotify will now let artists directly upload their music to the platform”

cutting edge, Entertainment, Film, Inventions

Easy-to-make videos can show you dancing like the stars

September 10, 2018

Want to dance like a professional ballerina or strut like a rapper? A new machine-learning technique can transfer one person’s motion to another in a simple process.

Mapping one person’s motion onto the movement of another has changed the way filmmakers, animators, and game designers create action. With this technique, one person can appear to dance, run, or shoot like somebody else.

Continue reading… “Easy-to-make videos can show you dancing like the stars”

Culture, Entertainment, Health & Fitness, Human Behavior

India’s bodybuilding boom reflects a nation coming of age

September 9, 2018

A group of twenty-something guys are crammed into a small room, flexing their muscles and applying thick layers of fake tan on dark brown skin. It’s approaching 40°C outside but, inside this windowless pen, it’s hard to breathe. Sweat is running freely and the air is thick with a tang of muscle spray as guys attempt to accentuate their bulges before stepping out on stage.

Bodybuilding is booming across India. Mr Universe-inspired competitions and gyms are popping up everywhere, from small towns in the middle of nowhere to megacities like Delhi and Mumbai.

In just over a decade, economic prosperity has transformed a struggling nation into a country developing at rapid speed, with smartphones becoming ubiquitous and tech hubs competing with the growth of Silicon Valley

Continue reading… “India’s bodybuilding boom reflects a nation coming of age”

Analysis, Entertainment, Latest Trend

The numbers of hours Americans watch TV every day is incredibly different depending on your age

August 31, 2018

Television is still the media medium of choice amongst adults in the US, with Americans aged 18 or older watching an average of almost five hours a day, according to a Total Audience Report.

But as this chart from Statista, based on Nielsen data, shows, younger adults watch significantly less television than do older adults — Americans ages 18 through 34 watch a third of what adults aged 50 to 64 do.

Continue reading… “The numbers of hours Americans watch TV every day is incredibly different depending on your age”

AI, Artificial Intelligence, cutting edge, Entertainment, Robots

Filmmaker Tony Kaye casts robot as lead actor in next feature

August 29, 2018

EXCLUSIVE: As the advancement of technology continues to replace the need for human labor, American History X director Tony Kaye is undertaking a new — and maybe controversial — step in filmmaking by employing an Artificial Intelligent (A.I.) actor as the lead in his next film, 2nd Born.

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Entertainment, Latest Trend, Travel

How technology has revolutionized the cruise industry

August 24, 2018

The cruise industry is one which has undergone enormous change in recent times. A huge amount of money has been spent on revamping the cruise ships with new facilities and new technology to define new levels of luxury and comfort. This, and making cruises more affordable through places like Bolsover Cruise Club, has made cruise vacations much more appealing to a younger audience and transformed the industry.

Continue reading… “How technology has revolutionized the cruise industry”