YouTube backing content creators by paying fees against copyright takedowns
We’ve all seen cases of YouTube videos getting taken down over copyright claims, and sometimes those claims are a little outlandish and unfair to the content creator. Obviously YouTube doesn’t condone piracy, but sometimes those claims can take down perfectly legitimate, fair use cases of content. That kind of thing hurts YouTube more than it helps, so the site is planning on backing up some of its content creators if they happen to face any legal action over these copyright takedowns.
This doesn’t mean YouTube is going to rush to aid just anyone that gets hit with a copyright takedown action, as the program is starting with only four creators. It also isn’t going to be stopping the copyright takedowns, but it will help pay for legal fees if any legal action is taken against the creators after the takedown occurs.
The plan for this program is to increase brand loyalty and to help educate users on fair use laws. And really, the legal fees of a handful of YouTube creators is cheap for all the good press this would bring the company.
source: New York Times
Come comment on this article: YouTube backing content creators by paying fees against copyright takedowns
The next New York Times virtual reality film will release on December 13th
After the success of the New York Times’ first virtual reality film experiment, the magazine is prepping its second film for release on December 13th of this year. The new film will work just like The Displaced did with Google’s Cardboard partnership, so you’ll be able to check the film out through the NYTVR app just like before.
This isn’t exactly how I’d imagined virtual reality would start building an audience, but it’s interested to watch either way.
source: New York Times (Twitter)
Come comment on this article: The next New York Times virtual reality film will release on December 13th
Cyberpunk noir game ‘Read Only Memories’ heads to PS4 and Vita
Read Only Memories, a pixelated adventure game set in the futuristic city of Neo-San Fransisco, will make its way to PlayStation 4 and Vita “soon,” developer Midboss announced in a new trailer. Midboss is composed of the folks behind the annual GaymerX convention, and Read Only Memories is a narrative-driven, sci-fi romp set in 2064 that happens to include an array of inclusive character options, such as the ability to choose your preferred gender pronoun. However, these options are almost a side-note to the game’s emphasis on story, retro 2D gameplay and robust character interactions.
Source: PlayStation Blog
NASA’s growing flowers on the ISS for the first time
Following upon its initial successes with lettuce back in August, NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station are attempting to coerce a colony of zinnias to flower for the first time. The effort is part of the larger Veggie plant growth system which is studying the effects of microgravity on plant life.
“Growing the zinnia plants will help advance our knowledge of how plants flower in the Veggie growth system, and will enable fruiting plants like tomatoes to be grown and eaten in space using Veggie as the in-orbit garden,” said Trent Smith, Veggie program manager at Kennedy. Additionally, scientists are studying how having plants aboard the orbiting laboratory impacts crew morale.
In this case, researchers are studying how the lack of gravity affects the zinnias’ pollen disbursement. If successful, the experiment could pave the way for orbital greenhouses and give deep space astronauts access to fresh fruit and vegetables. The ISS crew will next attempt to cultivate tomatoes beginning in 2017.
[Image Credit: Boston Globe via Getty Images]
Via: Mashable
Source: NASA
Telegram founder knew ISIS was using his service before Paris attacks
Secure messaging service Telegram announced on Wednesday it had shut down 78 ISIS-related channels since the deadly attacks on Paris and Beirut, alongside a statement saying the company was “disturbed to learn that Telegram’s public channels were being used by ISIS to spread their propaganda.” This made the situation sound like new information to Telegram — but that’s not the case. At TechCrunch Disrupt in September, Telegram founder Pavel Durov told interviewer Mike Butcher that he knew ISIS used his app (as spotted by The Washington Post). “I don’t think we are actually taking part in these activities,” Durov said. “I don’t think we should be guilty or feel guilty about it.” The relevant conversation went down as follows:
Via: The Washington Post
LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE pulled from shelves due to hardware issues
Only a week after its launch by AT&T, LG is stopping all sales of the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE smartwatch. According to 9to5Google’s sources, AT&T has notified its retail stores that those who bought the second-edition watch are eligible for a refund due to the “quality issue.”
LG has given no date for the smartwatch’s return to the market
The reason for this halt in sales and soft recall is, according to LG, “a hardware issue which affects the day-to-day functionality of the device.” The news comes as disappointing to many Verizon subscribers, as the device was slated to launch in their stores tomorrow morning, November 20th. LG has given no date for the smartwatch’s return to the market, and it might even be gone for good.
The Watch Urbane 2nd Edition was the first Android Wear smartwatch to offer cellular capabilities. This was received with much enthusiasm by fans of Android Wear, as it made the device far less reliant on an accompanying cell phone. It seemed like Android Wearers were leaving the days of leaning so heavily on Bluetooth and wifi networks behind. Unfortunately, no other manufacturers seem to have plans in the works to bring a similar Wear device to the market in the near future, although Google insists that we can expect them down the road.
Don’t miss: LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition first look
Although it’s sad to have the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition pulled away before we even really got to know it, this move is far better for LG and consumers alike, rather than having compromised hardware plague the device. If we’re lucky, LG will get to the root of this unspecified issue and we’ll see the Watch Urbane 2nd Edition rise from the ashes like a mighty phoenix. Only time will tell.
What are your thoughts? Are you a Watch Urbane 2nd Edition LTE owner? Have you noticed any suspicious issues with your device, and will you be taking it back to AT&T to take advantage of their trade-in? Let us know in the comments!
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Jimmy Iovine thinks women need help finding music
I was wondering to myself just the other day: Man, it is so hard to find music. I don’t know how to turn on the radio. I don’t know how to search for songs on Google. I don’t know how to launch iTunes on my computer. I just don’t know how to do a lot of things. Thankfully, Jimmy Iovine, the head of Apple Music, is here to help. Apparently it’s all because I’m a woman. My boobs must drain a lot of brain cells! In an interview on CBS This Morning earlier today, Iovine said about the streaming service: “Women find it very difficult at times to find music, and this helps make it easier.”
Via: The Verge
Source: CBS News
LG yanks its Watch Urbane 2nd Edition from stores
Did you have your eye on one of those new LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition from AT&T? Well tough. LG just yanked the smartwatch from store shelves citing “a hardware issue which affects the day-to-day functionality of the device.” The device was the first Android-based smartwatch to include a cellular connection. It had debuted on AT&T only a week ago and was supposed to come to Verizon tomorrow, November 20th. Nope, not any more.
Source: 9to5Google
Everything you know is wrong: lasers are cooling things now
A group of scientists at the University of Washington were able to successfully refrigerate water using an infrared laser. This is a big deal because researchers weren’t even sure this was possible as water tends to heat up when illuminated. However, by using an infrared laser and nanocrystal, it surprisingly created the opposite effect, which is a world first. The team of scientists were able to cool liquid water by 36 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius). The crystal absorbed the light’s photons and then when the photons were released, they had a higher energy value compared to when they first entered. These photons then scattered and carried away heat, cooling the surrounding water.
Via: Slash Gear
Source: University of Washington
It’s official: Pepsi is crowdsourcing a smartphone
Back in October, a source in Pepsi leaked the news that the mega-corporation would be releasing their own line of Chinese-based mobile accessories and even their own smartphone. We got some preliminary specs on the device, but heard no further word on the so-called P1.
Now, however, it looks like world’s 29th largest business is ready to make headway in the mobile market. The official announcement of the phone took the form of the $19 billion company launching a crowdsourcing campaign on the Kickstarter-esque fundraising platform JD Finance. Now we have a better idea of what this phone will look like and what exactly will be under the hood. The one thing that remains to be seen is whether or not there will be enough interest in the device for the campaign to meet its goals.
The Pepsi Phone will come with a 5.50-inch 1080p display and run an octa-core 1.7GHz MediaTek MT6792 processor. 2 gigs of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage are housed in a sleek metal frame and a 2.5D glass display cover. The cameras are a 13 MP device on the back, and a 5 MP one for selfies. The battery is 3000 mAh, and a fingerprint scanner is mounted on the back side of the device. The P1 will run Android 5.1 Lollipop when it arrives and it looks like the price is going to be about $200. That’s some pretty impressive bang for your buck.
So far the project has raised $89,000, which is still a far cry from their $470,000 goal (3 million Yuan). The deadline for the fundraiser is December 3rd, so there’s no guarantee that this project will make it off the ground.
The first 1000 supporters who pledged $78 (499 Yuan) will receive a P1 device for their support, which was a screaming deal that is sadly no longer available. However, those donating even just 1 Yuan have a chance of getting a device, as these supporters will go into a lottery in which 1 of every 500 will win a P1. Supporters pledging the full price of the device $203 (1299 Yuan) will also receive a P1, and there are no limits on this donation tier.
We’re only two weeks out from the end of this campaign, so we may not see this product become a reality. Still, it’s an interesting project. These Pepsi Phones won’t be made by Pepsi, per se. Rather the company is licensing its branding for use on this product in addition to a forthcoming line of accessories and apparel.
What are your thoughts on the P1? Worth the Yuan or just a yawn? Let us know in the comments!
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