Adidas Wilson's Blog, page 70
October 9, 2017
DITCH FACEBOOK MESSENGER. USE MESSENGER LITE INSTEAD
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING, THERE’S a pretty good chance you’re one of the 1.2 billion people who use Facebook Messenger at least once a month. Anecdotally, there’s a decent chance you harbor deep resentments toward its sluggishness, its bloat, and its liberally borrowed Snapchat features. Friends, there’s a better way. It’s called Messenger Lite.
You may have heard of Messenger Lite already, and if you live outside of the US, UK, Canada, or Ireland, you may already be using it. Facebook first launched Lite a year ago, intending it for markets whose fickle or low-bandwidth internet connections would collapse under the weight of the full-fledged Messenger platform. This week, Lite launched for those four more developed markets as well. And guess what? You should switch over to it immediately.
That directive comes with a couple of caveats: If you have an iPhone, this does not apply to you. Sorry! Facebook only released Messenger Lite on Android, with no signs of an iOS version in the offing. Secondly, if you are for some reason heavily invested in the Facebook Messenger games ecosystem, which I know must exist because there is a game controller tab in the Messenger app every time I open it, you should stick with the full-fledged version. Also, Lite doesn’t support Secret Conversations, Facebook’s end-to-end encrypted chat, but hey, that’s what Signal’s for anyway.
And that’s it! Everyone else: Let’s explore why Lite is absolutely right for you.
Lite As a Feather
It’s easier to focus on what Lite does have than what it doesn’t, because the list is so short. When you open Lite up, you get three gloriously straightforward tabs: Home, which shows your existing chats. Contacts, which, you know, and Profile, where you can adjust your notification settings, look at your message requests, switch accounts, report any issues, and that’s pretty much it.
No, really, that’s all! There’s no funhouse mirror room of tabs within tabs like you find in Messenger, in which opening the app presents you with, by my count, 10 tappable options (not including your recent conversations): Home, Contacts, Camera, Games, and Bots tabs, a Compose bubble, a Profileicon, and the option to sort chats by Messages, Active, Groups, and Calls.
I got tired just counting those, much less navigating them. And it never stops. Open a composition window in Messenger and you get options for your camera, for images, for voice dictation, for emoji and GIFs and stickers. You can call or video chat. Press the “plus” sign and you can send money, or your location, or summon a Food Network branded extension for some ungodly reason. You can send a thumbs up. You can also, I’m fairly certain, still type actual words.
Some of those choices persist in Lite, but not nearly enough to cause paralysis. You can still send a sticker, but it doesn’t animate. You can still snap a photo or dictate or call. But Lite does not contain the intricate, endless tunnel system that Messenger employs to squeeze all of its features into one bitty app. You can’t get lost in Lite. You can, though, send and receive messages quickly and efficiently, which seems just about perfect for an app called Messenger.
As user experience goes, I’m not sure what else to tell you, other than that all of the puffery in and around Messages mostly exists to keep you staring at Messages rather than necessarily improving your life and mind. You only have so many engaged minutes to give in one lifetime. Don’t spend them lobbing ingredients at a Food Network bot.
Shoot the Messenger
Lite doesn’t just save you time because there’s less to fiddle with. It also spares you very real seconds—and frustration—by not sputtering under its own weight, as its fuller-featured counterpart most certainly can and does. It’s a greyhound next to a slobbering Messenger mastiff.
Source:
https://www.wired.com/story/ditch-facebook-messenger/
Field of machines: Researchers grow crop using only automation
A farm in the United Kingdom is the first in the world to successfully plant, tend and harvest a crop without a single person ever setting foot in the field, according to researchers and developers involved in the project.
From sowing the seeds to picking the grain, human workers were replaced with automated machines operated from a control room. The project, called Hands Free Hectare, was completed last month with a yield of 4 1/2 tons of barley, according to news releases.
The automated farm was a joint venture by Harper Adams University in Shropshire, England, and Precision Decisions, a farming specialist company in York.
“Previously, people have automated sections of agricultural systems, but funding and interest generally only goes towards one single area,” said Kit Franklin, an agricultural engineer on the project.
Experts agree that automation technology has been available for some time now, but in recent years its implementation has been accelerated by decreasing costs and changing demographics in the workforce.
“The rising cost of labor is a huge driver in the field of agriculture technology,” explained Matt Nielsen of Autonomous Solutions, a Utah-based company that converts vehicles from manual to robotic control. “It makes sense when you compare the cost of technology to the cost of labor.”
Harbinger of what’s possible
However, there are limitations still to be assessed. For example, fresh fruits and vegetables are more delicate than sturdy grains and may be more susceptible to bruising in a harvest void of human touch.
There are also social and country-specific considerations. In Japan, for instance, agricultural automation may be a necessity; in India, it could mean unemployment for millions.
“Technically, complete automation is feasible everywhere, but economically and socially it only makes sense in certain situations,” said David Zilberman, a professor of agricultural and resource economics at the University of California, Berkeley.
Nonetheless, the complete mechanization accomplished in the UK is a harbinger of what’s possible in agriculture production, according to experts.
At Hands Free Hectare, agronomists and engineers used customized tractors and drones to cultivate the barley from an area roughly equivalent to two and a half acres.
Drones with multispectral sensors took aerial images of the field, while smaller machines at crop level took samples to assess what fertilizers to apply and where. Live camera feeds were used to detect invasive weeds or disease.
Earlier this year, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization stressed the need for technological innovation to create alternatives to high-input and destructive farming practices — methods that are unsustainable to meet global food needs, the FAO warned.
Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/07/world/automated-farm-harvest-england/index.html
Michael Jordan Wants Amazon to Build Its Second Headquarters in Charlotte
NBA all-star Michael Jordan wants Amazon to put its much-vaunted second headquarters (HQ2) in Charlotte, N.C.
The former University of North Carolina and Chicago Bulls superstar put his pitch in a letter to Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos last week, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Jordan owns the NBA’s Charlotte Hornets franchise and has deep roots in the state, having grown up in Wilmington, N.C. and attended UNC. The Observer quoted Fred Whitfield, president of the Hornets, who spoke about Jordan’s letter on Friday. The letter will be included in Charlotte’s official bid for HQ2, he said.
Charlotte has a lot going for it, including a bustling international airport and proximity to numerous interstate roads. It is also headquarters to Bank of America, among other big businesses.
But the state has seen its share of political anxiety over the past year with the former governor signing a controversial bathroom bill, which mandated that transgender people use the restrooms matching the biological sex on their birth certificates. A new Democratic governor rescinded that bill, but the scars linger.
In September, Amazon announced plans to build a second headquarters outside Seattle and solicited proposals from cities that could meet certain criteria, including proximity to airports, major highways, and mass transit. In a statement at the time, Bezos said, “We expect HQ2 to be a full equal to our Seattle headquarters.” Amazon says it has put $38 billion into Seattle’s economy between 2010 and 2016.
That sparked a frenzy with cities including Boston, Chicago, and Toronto. Much closer to home, Tacoma, Wash., which is about 30 miles from Seattle, unveiled its attempt to win the HQ2 pick a few days ago.
Some bids are more surprising than others. Last week, the city of Stonecrest, Ga., for example, moved to rename part of itself Amazon, in a bid to attract HQ2.
Source:
http://fortune.com/2017/10/09/michael-jordan-amazon-charlotte/
October 8, 2017
DC’s heroes unite in the new Justice League trailer
A new trailer for DC’s superhero ensemble movie Justice League has arrived, and it paints a bleak picture for the post-Superman world we were left with after the events of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Superman’s death looms heavy over the trailer. It opens with Lois Lane dreaming about becoming engaged to Clark Kent in Kansas, only to wake up and find him still missing. We then get a glimpse of how the rest of the world is feeling his loss. TV newscasters say that violence, war, and terrorism is on the rise. But there’s darker things on the horizon. Bruce Wayne tells Diana Prince that he’s been dreaming of something dark coming for the world, and they begin to recruit other heroes to unite fend off the coming Parademon invasion. The trailer shows off a bit more of the battles that we’ve seen teased in other trailers. “Divided, we are not enough,” Bruce Wayne tells the other heroes, “the world needs Superman, and I made him a promise, which is why I’ve brought you together.”
Justice League is coming after DC said that it was scaling back its interconnected superhero universe after it has largely underwhelmed audiences and at the box office. The future of the universe will likely follow in the steps of this year’s wildly successful Wonder Woman, with films that only lightly connect to one another, rather than continuing to follow in the same model as that of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.
The film will hit theaters on November 17th.
Source:
October 7, 2017
October 6, 2017
How to Write a Different Vampire Novel
Okay, so if you haven’t heard of the Twilight franchise by now, you’ve either been dwelling under a rock or sleeping in a coffin. Vampire novels, movies, and tie-ins have exploded. Some say the vampire trend is dead (or undead, if you’ll forgive the pun).
But vampires have fascinated numerous cultures for thousands of years—long before Dracula saw the light of day (groan). And there are some folks, like myself, who will read/watch/drool over anything vampish.
But how can you make your vampire novel different from all the others on the shelves? Read on to see what I did to make my vampire romance, House of Cards, stand out.
Make your vampires more than just vampires
When I set out to write this book, I knew I wanted my vampires to be more than just strong, beautiful, bloodsucking immortals. I wanted to give them histories. Personalities. They were human beings before they were supernatural creatures. Naturally, part of that humanity would carry over and create motivations for their present-day behavior.
I think a lot of paranormal books focus more on the “para” than the “normal.” But take away the supernatural abilities, and what should you have left? The complex character interaction that fuels any compelling novel.
So that’s what I really strove for in House of Cards. My male lead, Lucas, is a vampire. But he’s also much more than that. He’s an artist. He was part of a close family. He is a caring, frustrated, sensitive soul. It’s these characteristics that draw the female, human lead (Sherry) to him. They are also what helps save her life—not his “vampire” abilities. Ultimately, they’re why she falls in love with him.
Make the story about more than just vampires
Boy meets girl. Boy loves girl. Girl loves boy. Boy or girl turns out to be a vampire. We’ve all seen this before. Some vampire novels are just regular love stories with blood-guzzling thrown in.
But I think the best books are ones with deeper, layered meaning. Interview With the Vampire wasn’t just about an eighteenth-century plantation owner who gets vamped. It’s about love, hopelessness, and humanity’s place in the universe, among other things.
While never explicitly addressed, reading about these issues lets us walk away from the book with the notion we’ve really felt or thought on a deeper level. Weave them in, and the novel feels weighty, substantive. Leave them out, and the story seems trite.
In House of Cards, Sherry and Lucas both suffer significant losses before they even meet. Both are prevented from living their lives to the fullest by an unnerving villain known as “The Master.” In Sherry’s case, even surviving is not guaranteed.
So I tried to address how we cope with death, futility, and expressing our true selves in the world. Odds are, readers have dealt with some—or all—of these issues themselves.
Reverse stereotypes and give readers the unexpected
I don’t mean to criticize the many excellent vampire novels out there. But I see a lot of them falling into the same pattern: 300 pages of boy-rescues-girl. Now, there’s nothing wrong with an old-fashioned love story. But it seems that no matter how strong, how skilled, or how powerful the girl, it’s always up to the boy (usually a vampire) to save her in the end.
Personally, I’d like to see a little more of the kick-ass heroine in these vampire books. This was partly my idea when I developed Sherry’s character. Timid and terrified at first (as she should be—she’s trapped by serial killers), she gains power and strength as the novel progresses.
Source:
http://ilanawaters.com/2013/07/01/how-to-write-a-different-vampire-novel/
Jackie Chan Teases ‘Rush Hour 4’: “We Just Agreed”
“Which one of y’all kicked me?” Hard to believe it’s been nearly 20 years since LAPD Detective James Carter took a boot to the face from that unknown assailant in Rush Hour. Now it sounds like Chris Tucker’s manic character might be reunited with Jackie Chan’s Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee for a fourth adventure in the East-beats-West series.
Chan gave a radio interview Thursday in which he teased that a Rush Hour 4 in very much in the works — the first misadventure in the series since 2007. “For the last seven years, we’ve been turning down the script, turning down the script,” Chan told L.A. outlet Power 106’s The Cruz Show. “Yesterday, we just agreed.” Watch the video above.
Chan, who was on the air promoting his newest film, STX’s October 13 opener The Foreigner with Pierce Brosnan, also said: “The script probably at the end of this month will have a second draft, and next year, probably [we will] start. I hope — if Chris Tucker agrees.”
The original Rush Hour grossed $244 million worldwide for New Line Cinema and cemented the Hong Kong-born Chan as an English-language action star, after he had broken through in the U.S. with 1994’s Rumble in the Bronx. Its success led to his pairing with Owen Wilson for 2000’s Shanghai Noon, which spawned a sequel two years later. The buddy-cop action-comedy Rush Hour series with Tucker continued with Rush Hour 2 ($347M WW in 2001) and Rush Hour 3 ($258M, 2007). Brett Ratner directed all three.
Source:
Jackie Chan Teases ‘Rush Hour 4’: “We Just Agreed”
‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ Takes Place Surprisingly Long After the First One
For those of you who’ve been waiting to see more skyscraper tall mechanical monsters clash with the flesh and blood variety, we’ve got some good news for you. The next chapter of Guillermo del Toro’s massive mechs versus monsters saga, Pacific Rim 2, just took a huge, lumbering step forward.
Talking to Yahoo, del Toro, who delivers his gothic haunted house horror film Crimson Peak later this year, revealed that, after many false starts and pushed release dates, Pacific Rim 2 will indeed begin filming this November. And just in case you were wondering, it’s going to be big, and end big. He said:
We have an epic battle at the end [that] we started designing a couple weeks ago.
As it stands, we don’t know much about the plot of Pacific Rim 2, and probably won’t for some time. It reportedly picks up a few years after the first film, and has more of a focus on the monstrous Kaiju, the creatures from another dimension. Presumably this means that, after thinking they were banished back to where they came from on the other side of the interdimensional rift at the bottom of the ocean, they have found a way to come back and once again we need to turn to the Jaegers, the giant mechanical suits designed to combat this particular menace.
[image error]
To be fair, I don’t care too much about the specific plot subtleties and dynamics. That wasn’t really Pacific Rim’s strong suit, and I still loved it. Whatever we get is gravy, but as long at Guillermo del Toro is at the helm, and this film has the same feeling of glee, like a small kid playing in the dirt, smashing his toys into one another, and making explosion noises with his mouth, that’s all I need.
There hasn’t been any casting news to speak of in regards to Pacific Rim 2, so it remains to be seen if we’ll encounter any familiar faces. Del Toro has given strong indications that we will see the return of Charlie Day’s Kaiju obsessed Dr. Newton Geiszler and Burn Gorman’s Gottlieb, but we don’t know if Jaeger pilots like Charlie Hunnam’s Raleigh Beckett and Rinko Kikuchi’s Mako Mori will be back. Both Hunnam and Gorman are in Crimson Peak, so they at least have a current working relationship with del Toro that could pay off.
There are going to be some interesting questions to be answered. Like what are Geiszler and Gottlieb up to now that they don’t have Kaiju to study? What do you do with the Jaegers when there is no threat (fingers crossed it turns out like Robot Jox)? Are they just rusting away somewhere? Are the pilots just homeless and unemployed now? I can see the two scientists cooking up some wacky scheme to peer into the other dimension to check up on the monstrous horde, only to have it backfire and allow them back into our world, but that’s pure supposition.
However the story turns out, we’ve got a while to wait, as production for Pacific Rim 2was halted indefinitely, and now the release date is set for February 23, 2018.
Source:
https://www.cinemablend.com/new/Pacific-Rim-2-Just-Took-Huge-Step-Forward-72558.html
