Google is developing techniques to combat VR trolls
Trolls are everywhere on social media, and you can expect to encounter them in social virtual reality experiences as VR devices become more common. That’s why Google’s Daydream Labs team has been developing ways to prevent harassment in virtual reality, where people can use avatars (and not just words) to make others feel uncomfortable or even attacked. In one of the team’s virtual shopping experiments, for instance, some testers blocked other users’ view by sticking hats in front of their eyes. Those testers had no choice but to take off their headsets and restart the experience.
One of the techniques the team created will prevent poker players from stealing chips and picking a fight. As soon as someone leaves his seat in the game, he would vanish from other players’ POVs, and a blue personal space bubble would usher him back to his seat. Best thing about the method is that the team used poker-playing dogs to demo it in the video below.
Besides developing a technique that forces people to behave, the team is also creating ways to reward good behavior. In another experiment, Daydream Labs programmed virtual high fives to trigger loud slapping sounds and animated fireworks. Punches and other violent actions, however, triggered nothing. Testers loved the effect and preferred high-fiving rather than starting a virtual brawl.
These are but a couple of Daydream Labs’ creations that focus on the social aspects of virtual reality. The team builds two VR app prototypes every week to test different use cases and interaction designs, so we wouldn’t be surprised if the group conjures up more ways to protect people’s virtual-but-still-personal space.
Source: Google Developers Blog
Two players meet in No Man’s Sky, guess what happened next?
No Man’s Sky is finally released in the UK and other regions today, 10 August, after making its consumer debut in the States yesterday and it is already hitting the headlines with almost as much vigour as Pokemon Go.
The latest nugget to get tongues a-wagging concerns the game’s famed “multiplayer” element. Developer Games has often claimed that the No Man’s Sky universe is persistently online and players all inhabit it. But it has also constantly said because the playing field is so massive (18 quintillion procedurally generated planets), and players initially spawn in completely random areas, the chances of meeting another real human being are “almost zero”.
It certainly didn’t expect that to happen on day one.
Two players have posted proof on Reddit that they not only spawned close to each other, they set out to meet. And they ended up in exactly the same spot in the game, on the same planet, in the same galaxy, but things didn’t quite turn out as expected.
- No Man’s Sky preview: 10 hours in and it’s fiercely good fun
- What is No Man’s Sky and why should you care about it?
- 50 different planets from No Man’s Sky revealed, only 18 quintillion yet to go
Twitch broadcaster TheSadCactus (TheGalacticCactus on Reddit) discovered that a system he visited had already been named by a different player, Psytokat.
Whenever a new system or planet is found it can be renamed by the first player to arrive, so he knew that Psytokat else must have travelled through recently (as the game had only been out for a day). He arranged to meet his compatriot nearby and they headed to the same planet.
They found a landmark and waited for each other to turn up. Neither did. That is to say, both arrived there but couldn’t see each other. What’s more, the lighting and area ambience was different.
Psytokat
“We are 100 per cent in the same station same spot and everything and we cannot see each other,” said TheSadCactus.
There are several speculated reasons for this. It could be a glitch, after all the game only went live yesterday and the servers were flooded. It could be that the two players were split into different lobbies online. Or it could be that you actually can’t meet other players at all.
Hello Games’ founder Sean Murray had revealed in the past that it was possible to meet others, even suggesting that other players would be able to tell you what you look like: “You can’t see yourself,” he told The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert. “The only way to know what you look like is for somebody else to see you.
“But the chances of that are incredibly rare because of the size of what we’re building.”
Psytokat
Conspiracy theories aside, we wonder if it really matters. Hello Games has said all along that No Man’s Sky is a single-player experience with some multiplayer factors, such as the naming and discovery of planets.
And in that it is, from what we’ve played so far, thoroughly engrossing.
Bang & Olufsen embraces 4K Ultra HD and Android TV with BeoVision 14
It has been a couple of years since Bang & Olufsen unveiled a new television, the stunning BeoVision Avant. And it’s been even longer since it released the BeoVision 11.
However, a spiritual successor to the latter is now available in the form of the BeoVision 14.
It adopts a similar design aesthetic to the older set but adds a 4K Ultra HD pixel resolution. It is also powered by Android TV and, therefore, has Google Cast abilities built into the set, but there’s no sign of HDR picture tech support.
The B&O BeoVision 14 comes in 40 and 55-inch screen sizes and features an LCD panel with LED backlighting. It has anti-reflection front glass to remove reflections by up to 98 per cent. And a 360-degree Automatic Picture Control sensor adjusts images based on the ambient light in your current surroundings.
- Hands-on: Bang & Olufsen BeoVision Avant 4K UHD TV review
If you couple it with a motorise B&O stand, it will even sense your seating position and automatically turn to face you.
A three-way custom speaker adorns the front, which are covered by ultra-thin oak wood lamellas. The audio tech utilised is based on that found in the BeoLab 18 loudspeaker. A cloth front can be chosen instead of the oak in order to change the colour scheme.
The TV links with all other BeoLink Multiroon products and it comes with a new version of the BeoRemote One, which now features Bluetooth connectivity.
The BeoVision 14 4K Ultra HD TV starts at £4,495 for the 40-inch model. The 55-inch version retails from £6,495.
Google explains why Palestine isn’t labeled in Maps
Services like Google Maps have not just functional but symbolic importance, as a bug on a map of Israel has proved. A Gaza City journalism group spotted a change in the way Google represented Palestine on a map of Israel, causing outrage on both mainstream and social media in the Middle East. “[Our group] condemns the crime carried out by Google in deleting the name of Palestine, and calls for Google to rescind its decision and apologize to the Palestinian people,” the Forum of Palestinian Journalists said in a statement.
Much of the Middle-Eastern media, along with Twitter and Facebook users, are demanding that Google relabel the region, or even all of Israel, as “Palestine.” However, the Maps app never had that label in the first place, and Google tells Engadget that a glitch is to blame for the change. “There has never been a ‘Palestine’ label on Google Maps, however we discovered a bug that removed the labels for ‘West Bank’ and ‘Gaza Strip.’ We’re working quickly to bring these labels back to the area,” a spokesperson says.
Google shows a dashed border around West Bank and Gaza, and defines cities in those regions as Palestinian if you click on them. A Wikipedia knowledge box on Maps describes Palestine as a “de jure sovereign state,” a term selected by the United Nations in 2013.
Google has just removed Palestine from its maps. But we will always resist and prove our presence 🇵🇸#PalestineIsHere pic.twitter.com/ISHYVYGxCj
— Rana (@ranaaa_d) August 9, 2016
I am changing my homepage and search engine.
Because I can’t find what I am looking for @google @googlemaps #PalestineIsHere— Çağrı Koşak (@cagrikosak) August 9, 2016
Though Google never used (and therefore never removed) the “Palestine” label, many social media users and mainstream news sites believed that it did. That sparked a #PalestineIsHere hashtag, with many folks declaring that they’d deleted Google’s services.
The outcry may be misplaced, but the incident shows the care that companies like Google, Apple and Microsoft must take with how they represent regions. Google uses internal, third-party and public data to create maps, but needs to pay extra attention in politically sensitive regions, where people see them as more than a way to get from “A” to “B.”
Via: The Washington Post
Sony PlayStation event confirmed for 7 September, likely for PS4.5
The new, high-powered PlayStation 4 will likely be unveiled in September.
Sony has sent invites to the media for a PlayStation event scheduled on 7 September in New York City. It’ll actually be held at the PlayStation Theatre, but the company is being coy about what it will announce or introduce, only saying that it plans to “share details about the PlayStation business”. It of course will probably debut the upgraded PlayStation 4, which goes by the codename Neo.
The new device is thought to support 4K games and media. It might also come with more processing power, allowing it to work with the PlayStation VR headset coming this October. We’re not sure if Sony will discuss a release date or pricing at its event, though rumours have suggested that Neo will launch some time next year. Keep in mind Sony has already confirmed a 4K PS4 is in the works.
Andrew House, CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, told the Financial Times in June that Sony will sell both the PS4 and Neo through their life cycles, and that all Neo-compatible games will support the standard PS4, too.
Check out Pocket-lint’s PS4.5/Neo round-up for more details about the upcoming console, dubbed PS4.5.
Share files, collaborate with ease with Droplr Pro: Lifetime License (98 per cent off)
Collaboration in the digital age has never been more convenient thanks to Droplr.
At its foundation, Droplr is a file-sharing service which integrates with your Windows PC or Mac to upload any files you choose, to a remote server for access by anyone you choose. With a world of useful features at your fingertips, a Droplr Pro: Lifetime License is now offered at a fantastically low price of £15.27 ($21.99) on Pocket-lint Deals.
Skip the bulky email attachments and file transfer services. Droplr sharply increases convenience and productivity with your team, removing any sharing limits and allowing you to unclog your inbox. Password protection, self-destruct times and obfuscated URLs keep your data private, as you share images, videos, documents and more via Droplr’s easy-to-use service, with unlimited storage.
Just drag and drop your file to the desktop icon, and you’re immediately provided with a short link to share with anyone you choose.
The single-user plan normally runs half the total cost of this deal, so the long-term value on a Droplr Pro: Lifetime License is indisputable. In addition to Windows and Mac, Droplr also integrates fully with Office, Slack, Adobe products and Twitter as well.
Droplr Pro has received a five-star rating on CNET, in part due to its expanded screen capture and recording features, letting you save recordings as high-resolution videos or animated GIFs, which you can then annotate at will.
Take your team’s productivity to all-new heights for good with Droplr Pro: Lifetime License, offered at 98 per cent off for a limited time from Pocket-lint Deals.
Get an immersive VR experience with the Virtual Reality Box with stereo headset (60 per cent off)
Virtual Reality is really taking off these days, but not all VR headsets are created equal.
Some are merely cardboard boxes, like Google’s Cardboard, and others are fully immersive high-end VR headsets that don’t need your smartphone such as Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. But value and function neatly intersect with the Virtual Reality Box with Stereo Headset. At just £27.41 ($38.99) from Pocket-lint Deals, a fully immersive VR experience is finally as affordable as it is fun.
This premium VR Headset uses your smartphone to deliver a full virtual reality experience, with headphones included to immerse yourself in a full-sensory commitment. Watch 360-degree video with ultra-short distance and ultra-wide viewing angles, offering you a viewing experience which more closely matches the human eye.
You can also adjust the headset between 0-800 degrees myopia & 0-400 degrees hyperopia for comfort, and to reduce vertigo.
Your own private cinematic experience awaits! You can even answer calls while wearing the headset through the multifunction key, which also allows you to adjust the volume directly without interfering with playback or gaming.
If you’re looking to make the leap into VR but aren’t swayed by flimsy cardboard or looking to break the bank, the Virtual Reality Box with Stereo Headset is definitely a great value at £27.41 ($38.99).
Pick it up a 60 per cent off today from Pocket-lint Deals.
Microsoft figured out how cloud servers can swap encrypted data
A team at Microsoft Research has figured out a way to share encrypted information stored in the cloud without compromising security. The example the outfit gives is as follows:
“Machine learning algorithms may examine our genomes to determine our susceptibility to maladies such as heart disease and cancer. Between now and then, computer scientists need to train the algorithms on genetic data, bundles of which are increasingly stored encrypted and secure in the cloud along with financial records, vacation photos and other bits and bytes of digitized information.”
Given the nature of encryption, though, only the owners of said data can access it. Good for security, but bad for researchers.
The methodology proposed by the team uses multiparty computation, where results are shared, but no one involved learns any of the specifics about the data contained in the encrypted file. “We require that none of the parties involved learns anything beyond what they already know and what is revealed by the function, even when the parties (except the cloud) are active malicious,” the research brief says.
So, essentially, it’s a lot like having an impartial pal know the number of books in two friends’ collections. From there, the third party would tell each friend who’s bookshelf has more on it, without saying exactly how many books are on either shelf.
Encryption computations are all performed within the cloud as well, and the scientists involved say that the computations themselves are encrypted. The servers don’t even know what they’re processing. “Set up this way, the data exchange is secure provided that the cloud itself follows the rules and nothing more,” the post says.
The end result could apparently make it easier for scientists to preview data for experiments without buying it. What’s more, it’d they’d only have to make a costly purchase once they know the data is worthwhile for their studies.
Source: Microsoft Research Blog (1), (2)
Watch a high-speed footage of past SpaceX launches
If you didn’t get the chance to watch previous SpaceX missions blast off, this video can bring you up to speed. It shows what the private space corporation has been up to these past few months, including the engine burn and launch of the May mission that carried Japanese communications satellite JCSAT-14 to orbit. That rocket’s first stage landed on a drone ship even if the company didn’t expect to succeed, because it came back from a particularly high orbit that made things difficult. SpaceX recently took out the first stage from that trip for a test fire, and its booster burned for 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
Following JCSAT-14 is the CRS-9 mission’s launch and stage separation as it ferried supplies to the ISS. The video also features its re-entry burn and first stage landing on solid ground. Finally, you can catch a glimpse of the December 2015 Falcon 9 launch that deployed 11 ORBCOMM satellites, as well. That mission marked the first time Musk and his team ever stuck a first stage landing, starting a series of successful attempts at landing rockets both on land and at sea.
Pokemon Go’s new tracking system actually works – here’s how – CNET
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Pokemon Go finally gets nearby tracking right
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The Sightings tracker.
Alina Bradford/CNET
The latest update brings a new way to track pokemon in Pokemon Go — at least for some users.
Two types of trackers are being tested and you may see both, one, or none at all.
The ‘Sightings’ tracker
Some players have the Sightings version of the tracker. This tracker tells you what Pokemon are currently in your area and is basically the same type of tracker you saw when Niantic took away the steps from the original tracker. It’s just a list bunch of nearby Pokemon, but this time they have grass in the icon.
I have tried the Sightings tracker and, like before, you have no way of knowing how close the Pokemon are or what direction you need to travel in.
The ‘Nearby’ tracker
Another version of the new tracker is called Nearby, like the old tracker.
Except this time, it’s improved, it actually works!
The Nearby tracker lists Pokemon that are in your general vicinity and the PokeStops you’ll have to visit to hunt them down.
Tap on the Pokemon you want to track, then hit the View button and you’ll be taken back to the map screen. The screen will zoom in and show where the PokeStop is located in relation to your avatar.
If the Pokemon leaves that location before you get there, the app will let you know with a warning, “The Pokemon fled! Check the nearby list for other Pokemon.”
Some people are reporting that they have one tracker and not the other, while some people are reporting that they have both trackers. This is probably part of the testing process. Niantic explained on their site, “We’re currently testing a variation of the “Nearby Pokémon” feature with a subset of users. During this period you may see some variation in the nearby Pokémon UI.”
A closer look at Nintendo’s Pokemon Go Plus
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