Will this pair of Hollywood strikes ever end? It looks like the big corporations are digging in for a long battle, illustrated by Netflix’s recent job posting for a machine learning platform product manager. The position pays an annual salary of $300,000 to $900,000 at a time when many actors make around $200 a day, according to this SAG-AFTRA contract. The role AI will play in creating future entertainment is a key item of debate for both striking parties.
The job listing indicates that the AI will be used to “create great content” and not just develop new algorithms to recommend shows and movies. The posting also alludes to a far-reaching effort by the streaming giant to integrate artificial intelligence in “all areas of the business.” A separate section on the company’s website goes on to say that Netflix uses AI “to optimize the production of original movies and TV shows.”
That’s not the company’s only AI-heavy job posting promising a giant payday. Netflix is also hiring a technical director for generative AI at its burgeoning gaming studio that pays an annual salary of up to $650,000, as reported by The Intercept.These efforts are already bearing fruit, as Netflix currently airs a Spanish reality dating series called Deep Fake Love that scans contestant’s faces to create AI-generated “deepfakes” and its gaming studio employs generative AI to compose narratives and dialogue.
This all comes after striking actors rejected a proposal from the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that generously offered workers a one-time $200 day rate for performers to get scanned for future use as AI-enhanced CGI simulacrums forever, until the end of time. SAG-AFTRA says the company would “own that scan, their image, their likeness, and be able to use it for the rest of eternity in any project they want with no consent and no compensation.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/netflix-lists-900000-ai-job-as-actors-and-writers-continue-to-strike-190037630.html?src=rss
As the next Big Game™ on the near horizon, you might have a lot of questions about Starfield. We know that the game will have an enormous amount of explorable planets, but other specifics are still somewhat of an unknown—until now, that is. One fan has spent hundreds of hours compiling all known information about …
If you tend to lie awake in bed, anxious about what you’ve forgotten to do today or prepare for tomorrow, it’s likely you’re not taking advantage of Google Assistant’s “Bedtime” routine. Once you’ve set it up, you can simply say “Goodnight” to Google through any device, and Assistant will execute an automated set of…
Two weeks ago a bug report was opened for Mesa that when using Radeon RX 7900 XT or Radeon Pro WX 9100 graphics, Blender’s Eevee shader node trees are unusably slow. A fix has now been merged in reducing that shader compilation time from around 251 seconds to now getting done in just about 9 seconds…
NVIDIA RTX Laptop for Students – ASUS Vivobook 16 Pro – Starting at $1,399 The ASUS VivoBook Pro 16, part of NVIDIA’s program for STEM majors, delivers great performance in math and engineering apps at an affordable price. Great mix of performance, size, and weight NVIDIA GPUs accelerate many engineering and ML apps Excellent Pantone-certified…
Bob Iger, the CEO of Disney, has had a lot of not-very-flattering press written about him recently, and the quotes and soundbytes he’s given out to the trades have not helped matters. The oft-referenced quote that he gave to CNBC in mid-July about the WGA and the SAG-AFTRA demands remains particularly condescending.
Imagine you are visiting family and your niece tells you that she saw some old “Tron thing” a few blocks away. You investigate and discover a near-perfect condition, still working, super rare Discs of Tron arcade machine from the 1980s just sitting on the side of the road, waiting to be smashed and tossed into the…
Regular readers will recall that we wrote about Intel’s X64S proposal awhile back. That was merely in the concept stages, but it’s an idea to shed a lot of the legacy cruft from x86-compatible processors. It looks like Intel’s engineers aren’t done fiddling around in the instruction set, though, because the company’s just announced two big
Threads users are asking for new feature updates and it seems Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg is taking their opinions into account. The app’s update will include a “Following” feed and “Translations” which will register the original language and translate it to the language settings of the user reading it, Meta announced on…
If it isn’t riddled with a bunch of off-putting glitches, did publisher EA even release a new The Sims 4 expansion pack? The latest pack, Horse Ranch, which came out on July 20, appears to be crawling with a number of bizarre bugs players have been drawing attention to since the add-on was in previews.
It’s hard to quit something you actually find useful. Case in point: Twitter (or maybe now “X”?) Sure, the site has been actively on fire for the better part of a year, but there are still a lot of interesting and funny people tweeting away. You probably have a lot of those tweets saved to your Bookmarks, which…
If you read about cooking online, you’ve no doubt seen several listicles that tout the many uses of a single, humble chicken. At this point, you know what a chicken can do for you, so another overly-prescriptive, chicken-based meal plan seems unnecessary. My agenda here is very simple: The next time you buy a whole…
Akihabara News (Tokyo) — Yuji Akasaka, president of Japan Airlines (JAL), regards the spread of eVTOL (flying car) services around the nation as an urgent task.
In an interview with national broadcaster NHK, Akasaka explained, “If you go to a rural area, there are many places that are difficult to reach by land, such as mountainous areas, remote islands, and detours.” He believes that eVTOL transportation has the potential to quickly expand throughout regions such as Hokkaido in the north and on remote islands near Kyushu and Okinawa in the south.
He adds that these services will likely encompass not only tourism and business use cases, but also employment for emergency relief during disasters.
In Akasaka’s view, Japan needs to move quickly to develop and utilize eVTOLs.
“Flying cars are no longer vehicles of the future,” he asserts.
But he also adds that “the most important thing is how to get society to accept them. The biggest factor in achieving that is to properly prove their safety. We have a lot of safety know-how which we have built up over many years.”
JAL has partnered for some time with Germany’s Volocopter within the Japanese market, and more recently it reached an agreement with Wisk Aero, presumably with an eye towards providing longer-distance eVTOL flights in Japan.
The Gulf Stream system could collapse as soon as 2025, a new study suggests. The shutting down of the vital ocean currents, called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc) by scientists, would bring catastrophic climate impacts. From a report: Amoc was already known to be at its weakest in 1,600 years owing to global heating and researchers spotted warning signs of a tipping point in 2021. The new analysis estimates a timescale for the collapse of between 2025 and 2095, with a central estimate of 2050, if global carbon emissions are not reduced. Evidence from past collapses indicate changes of temperature of 10C in a few decades, although these occurred during ice ages.
Other scientists said the assumptions about how a tipping point would play out and uncertainties in the underlying data are too large for a reliable estimate of the timing of the tipping point. But all said the prospect of an Amoc collapse was extremely concerning and should spur rapid cuts in carbon emissions. Amoc carries warm ocean water northwards towards the pole where it cools and sinks, driving the Atlantic’s currents. But an influx of fresh water from the accelerating melting of Greenland’s ice cap and other sources is increasingly smothering the currents.
If you’re looking for a portable Bluetooth speaker that puts natural-sounding analog audio at the forefront, then you’ll enjoy the Orange Box. As long as you don’t have too many other requirements, that is. Orange has been making guitar amps since the 1960s and it’s apparently not changing the formula to compete against commonplace plastic Bluetooth speakers with all the mod cons. I’ve personally come to enjoy the bohemian design and bright orange exterior, which is a refreshing change from what you’d usually find. You do have to deal with losing some useful features and it’s less rugged than some other portables, but the audio quality is a standout.
Hardware
The hardware elements and iconography from the company’s long history of amps and speakers have been merged into this portable battery powered version. The orange Tolex (vinyl) exterior, logo badge, speaker mesh, wood framing, dials, toggle switches, indicator lights and other details are a perfect match with the brand’s existing stable of products. The mechanical ‘thunk’ of the on/off toggle is satisfying, while the domed orange power light seems pleasantly retro.
Photo by Jon Turi / Engadget
There are manual volume and EQ dials on the top panel. The bass and treble start out flat in the 12-o’clock position, letting you boost or lower those levels as desired. The dial positions are a little hard to read, though, unless you’re standing directly above them since the position dot on the dial is near the bottom. The Bluetooth control has a blue light that flashes when it’s in pairing mode and does double-duty as a pause/play control. You’ll also find an orange overload indicator light, which could become a common sight if you like to play your music loudly, especially with heavy bass.
Aside from that, there’s a 3.5mm minijack on the top and an DC charging port on the back. You can charge the 2,600mAh battery for up to around 15-hours of playback or you can just run it while it’s plugged in. Next to the domed power indicator is a battery level light that’s red as it’s charging, green when it’s full and flashes red if the battery is at 10 percent or lower, with nothing in between. Like any speaker, if you’re planning a long outing, you should keep the power cable handy. I tested the speaker at a relatively high volume for an hour, plus 10 hours at medium and two overnight stretches powered off. This got me to the 10-percent warning and seems par for the course in regards to battery life.
Photo by Jon Turi / Engadget
If you plan to travel with your speaker, you may want to consider getting the $60 Gigbag carrying case since there’s no IP rating or waterproofing for the device. You’ll just have to trust Orange Amps’ build quality. Although we haven’t seen the bag in person, I expect it should at least help keep the speaker dry and clean when you’re not using it. There’s a shoulder strap option as well, and while the Orange Box is portable, it’s still over 6.5 pounds. You could always save some money though, since it does fit into a backpack easily enough.
Sound
The best part about the Orange Box is its warm and bright output. There’s both digital Class D and A/B analog amps that deliver crisp and punchy front-facing sound from the 4-inch sub and dual 2-inch high frequency drivers. There’s a relatively wide frequency range from 35Hz to 20kHz and aptX support is a huge plus, especially if you have access to hi-res streaming. Most styles of music sound good on the Orange Box, but the speaker really shines with songs that have live instrumentation or anything that can benefit from an analog touch. Some types of modern digital music didn’t come across quite as well here, so it’s worth testing your types of tunes before buying.
The 50-watt speaker puts out enough volume to work well as a personal boombox in the park or around the house. It’s fairly loud for its size and can handle small outdoor get togethers well if you just need background music. The output has decent bass that does reverberate through its case, especially if you’re near to it. Although when testing on a large windy rooftop area, it didn’t project as much if you’re 15-20 feet away.
I didn’t notice any distortion when pushing it to the max, but that overload light is a subtle hint to always check your levels. You’ll see the light flashing quite often if you enjoy loud music. It’s only when you have the overload light on constantly that you could get distortion and potentially damage the drivers. If that does happen, you do have the benefit of contacting an authorized repair center instead of having to cut your losses.
Features
Some features that many have grown used to using aren’t available on the Orange Box and if you just want something to play tunes, it’s not a big deal. However, there’s no app for the speaker and it doesn’t support multipoint or pairing with a second Orange Box for more sound. It won’t go to sleep even if you’ve disconnected Bluetooth, so the battery may slowly drain if you leave it on all night without charging. And if you’re used to watching the battery levels, it will be a bit of a mystery until you’re at 10 percent power. Plus, since there’s no USB charging, you’ll want to keep track of the power cable that came with the device.
On the plus side, there’s obviously the analog amps on board and aptX support sweetens the deal. The Bluetooth 5.0 range is as good or better than some other speakers in this category. Also, if you need a tiny DJ monitor, there’s no processing delay when using the 3.5mm input jack, so you can mix by ear if needed. For eco-conscious consumers, the authorized service centers and replacement parts on offer until 2030 means you can actually repair the speaker if something happens to it. It’s a proper piece of equipment that you should be able to enjoy for a long time.
Photo by Jon Turi / Engadget
Wrap-up
While I wouldn’t quite call it an audiophile speaker, it’s certainly for analog or Orange Amp enthusiasts. I know the design isn’t new since the Orange Amps style has hardly changed since the ‘60s, but for me it feels like a refreshing change of pace. I can imagine lots of people with those turntables in luggage cases hooking up the speaker (although make sure you have good needles people). Sure, it’s a bit chunky, you shouldn’t leave it out on the porch in the rain and you’ll need to keep track of the specific charging cable, but that’s doable.
It’s hard to say if the sound or style will appeal to everyone, but it’s great to have another option available, especially one that’s built and sold by a brand with a legacy. At $299 the Orange Box isn’t terribly expensive and it feels less disposable than many of the products out there. The Orange Box, its $60 Gigbag carrying case and the slightly larger non-portable sibling the Orange Box-L ($345) are all currently available from the Orange Amps website. Oh, and you can also get them in black if that’s your preference. I know Furry Vince Noir would.
Drivers: 1 x 4-inch bass driver, 2 x 2-inch high frequency drivers
Amplifiers: 1 x 30-watt sub, 2 x 10-watt full range
Frequency Range: 35Hz – 20kHz
Weight: 3 KG / 6.62 LBS
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0, 3.5mm aux input
Codecs: aptX, AAC, SBC
Battery: 2,600mAh, 3 hours to full charge, 15-hour runtime
Extras: Vegan-leather carry strap, 3.5mm aux cable, 19.5V power supply
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/orange-amps-portable-bluetooth-speaker-shines-by-sticking-to-the-basics-180021381.html?src=rss
Google Street View’s cameras have returned to Germany more than a decade after a privacy backlash in the country pushed it to stop updating images. From a report: Alphabet’s update will start with new photos of the streets and landmarks of the country’s 20 largest cities and expand from there, the company said in a blog post on Tuesday. Google voluntarily suspended Street View photography in Germany in 2011, after an outcry from privacy advocates and opposition from regulators.
“We’ve been back on the road with our vehicles in Germany since June and will be posting the latest images as they become available — adding footage from other regions across the country,” Sven Tresp, a program manager for Street View, wrote. Google is posting information about where its cameras are traveling, he said. The Street View rollout across Europe more than a decade ago triggered probes by data protection watchdogs across the European Union. The investigations included a probe by the Hamburg authority, where Google had its main German base. Some led to fines, including a $1.1 million penalty in Italy.
San Diego Comic-Con 2023 is officially in the books and it was a weird one. For the first time in years, Hollywood’s presence didn’t dominate the event, thanks to studios failing to meet the demands of striking writers and actors. And so, when that big shining star goes away, what happens? Does SDCC just die? Or does …
After two and a half seasons, Geralt of Rivia (Henry Cavill) is returning for the second part of The Witcher’s third season. Season 3 of The Witcher had been broken into two parts: Part one included five episodes and aired on June 29, and part two will drop the season’s final three episodes on Thursday, July 27. Three…
