How Microsoft plans to make 3D building mainstream in Windows 10

Paint 3D was a surprise. Even longtime Microsoft watchers had no idea the company was working on a 3D spin on Paint, and it seemed like a left-field choice for most consumers. But after diving into Paint 3D in the Windows 10 Creators Update, I can say it actually makes complete sense for Microsoft. It’s an ideal way to introduce a new generation to building and thinking in three dimensions. And according to Megan Saunders, Microsoft’s head of 3D experiences in Windows, that’s a skill that will be particularly useful with the rise of VR, AR and 3D printing.

“If you look at all the AR and VR devices, they have this amazing potential,” Saunders said in an interview with Engadget. “But it’s really the content and the software that will show up across all those devices where there’s a real huge opportunity. And, unfortunately, the state of the 3D market now and then is especially broken.” We don’t think much about working with 2D content these days — snapping a photo and posting it on Facebook is pretty seamless. But when it comes to creating and sharing 3D content, it’s another story entirely.

That thinking led Saunders and her team to ponder ways to jump-start the 3D content ecosystem. Microsoft needed to do more than just pay companies to start building models — it had to figure out how to persuade everyday consumers to also start exploring the possibilities of 3D. “You can’t just make something and put it out there without thinking of the value we can bring to people,” she said. “We really zeroed in on this idea of unlocking and enabling people’s creativity.”

One big benefit of 3D? It’s simply much easier to convey complex ideas. We’re used to working on 2D screens, but we live in a three-dimensional world, so our brains naturally grasp concepts more easily when they’re presented in 3D. It’s one thing to look at a flat diagram of the solar system; it’s another to see the interaction of the planets and their orbits laid out in a VR or AR helmet.

“We also know that people tend to move and grow towards vehicles that allow them to communicate,” Saunders added. “A basic core competency of us as people is our ability to express feelings, thoughts, emotions, communicate ideas and get people rallied around. Our simple idea was: If we can match people’s innate desire to communicate and express with a new type of content medium … perhaps that is the way we can get some engagement going across 3D.”

Paint 3D is the starting point. It’s a free app that every Windows 10 user will have access to in the coming Creators Update. And despite being more complex than the classic 2D program, it doesn’t take long to figure out the tools and features. Like Minecraft, it’s the sort of thing kids can spend hours with in the act of pure creation. Eventually, you’ll also be able to import your Minecraft creations into Paint 3D and then spit them out on a 3D printer.

Microsoft also created a new social network, Remix3D, devoted to sharing, and yes, remixing, Paint 3D creations. And later this year, you’ll be able to take your 3D models and plug them into Microsoft Office apps. Just imagine how much better a PowerPoint presentation could be if you could embed interactive 3D models.

While 3D printing hasn’t lived up to its initial hype, it’s still an intriguing market for some consumers, and it could be revitalized once everyone can easily build their own 3D models. Saunders was surprised to find a 3D printer at the top of her daughter’s Christmas list one year, which she took as a sign.

It was both an opportunity to fuel her daughter’s creativity and thinking as well as her ability to learn. And for Saunders, who started out studying literature and hopped across a variety of roles, including serving as the chief of staff for Microsoft’s North American president, it was a particularly poignant revelation. “I wonder if I had some different tools or a different path available to me, would I have landed there sooner?”

With the infrastructure in place to support a new 3D ecosystem, Microsoft is now focusing on making 3D work as 2D does. Even the basic concept of opening a 3D file easily and sharing it with a friend needs a lot of work — not everyone has Maya installed, after all. The company is also exploring ways to bring 3D into things you’re already doing. That starts with Microsoft Office, but it could be extended into things like Skype, where you could manipulate a model together with a friend.

By banging the 3D drum, Microsoft is hoping to make it easier to take an idea from your head, develop it on a screen and then view it in the real world. Saunders sees it as an “immediate reaction and response,” something we can’t easily get today. That’ll be a boon for everyone, but it could have particular impact for the next generation of users.

Image: Reuters/Lucas Jackson (Sandcastle)

Stream Showtime on Sling TV for $10 extra a month

Showtime is coming to Dish’s cord-cutting service, Sling TV. Showtime content will include eight linear channels and “nearly 2,000” on-demand titles, with more to follow weekly.

Sling is far from the first service to offer Showtime over-the-top. It’s available as an add-on for PlayStation Vue, Hulu and Amazon already. That said, Sling said that today’s announcement marks the first time that a streaming service has offered content from all “four leading premium networks,” i.e. HBO, Cinemax, Showtime and Starz. It’ll be priced at $10 per month on top of your existing plan.

The service also announced a trio of networks for Spanish-speaking Sling subscribers. Estrella TV, Vme Kids and El Financiero Bloomberg TV are all being added to the Best of Spanish TV package, which costs $10 a month standalone or $5 with a Sling Orange or Blue subscription.

The timing of today’s new channels couldn’t be better. YouTube just launched its own cord-cutting service in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia, and promises to roll it out to more cities in the near future. YouTube TV does offer Showtime as an add-on, but it’s missing HBO, Cinemax and Starz among others.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Sling TV

AI predicts the layout of human stem cells

The structures of stem cells can vary wildly, even if they’re genetically identical — and that could be critical to predicting the onset of diseases like cancer. But how do you know what a stem cell will look like until it’s already formed? That’s where the Allen Institute wants to help: it’s launching an online database, the Allen Cell Explorer, where deep learning AI predicts the layout of human stem cells. You only need a pair of identifying structures, like the position of the nucleus, to fill out the rest of the cell’s innards.

The team learned how to train its AI thanks to gene editing. After reverting adult cells to stem cells, researchers tagged genes to make cell structures glow and track their layout. This helped identify a clear relationship between the locations of cell structures, making it possible to predict how a stem cell would develop. It was just a matter of teaching the AI to understand this relationship, using real-world examples to verify that it was on the right track.

There are thousands of images at the Cell Explorer right now, and scientists plan to expand it with snapshots of stem cells as they grow into their adult forms. That could pinpoint key processes and help understand how certain diseases develop. If the database proves successful, you could see more effective treatments for conditions that were once relatively mysterious.

Via: Nature

Source: Allen Institute

Watch as NASA lays John Glenn to rest on Thursday

Astronaut and four-term US senator from Ohio, John Glenn, will be buried at Arlington Cemetery tomorrow, April 6th at 9 AM ET. The ceremony will air live on NASA TV to honor the first American to orbit the earth. The US Marine Corps will also webcast the event on its Defense Video Imagery Distribution System.

John Glenn was the final surviving member of the original seven Mercury astronauts; he achieved his historic three-orbit flight in February, 1962 on the Friendship 7. He retired from NASA in 1964 and began his senatorial career ten years later. During that time, he represented his state by pushing for more federal funding for space, science and education until his final term ended in 1998. He then returned to space and Earth orbit soon after at the age of 77, proving himself even more of a badass. Glenn passed away on December 8th of last year at the age of 95.

Source: NASA

Apple could make a MagSafe to USB-C adapter if it wanted to

Dongles are a sad part of life for new MacBook Pro owners: The 2016 laptops infamously replaced all of its ports with USB-C, except for the headphone jack. So, it’s going to take a lot of adapters to make your existing peripherals compatible with your new machine. This means the MagSafe breakaway charging cable has been phased out, but Apple may be working on a solution to keep it alive. As The Verge notes, the company filed a patent for a MagSafe to USB-C adapter last year, and it was just published a few days ago.

Since this is only a patent, this doesn’t mean Apple will definitely release the adapter. That said, the backlash to the USB-C-only laptops makes it entirely possible we’ll see it in Apple Stores in the near future. It’s yet another MacBook adapter, yes, but at least it’s not a full-sized dongle: Based on the patent images, it looks like more of a nub that doesn’t appear to protrude more than an inch from the side of the laptop.

Regardless of whether Apple’s adapter ever comes to fruition, users who want a breakaway charging solution for USB-C-powered devices are being taken care of. Last year, Griffin introduced a magnetic USB-C cable and adapter that functions very much like a MagSafe cable. An all-USB-C MacBook might be a drag, but at least there are options to keep your laptop from crashing to the floor in the event of a charging cable accident.

Images: Shutterstock (MagSafe charger, lead); United States Patent and Trademark Office (Apple patent)

Via: The Verge

Source: United States Patent and Trademark Office

Intel’s 360 replay tech is coming to more NFL stadiums

The National Football League just announced that it’s moving its Thursday Night Football streaming coverage from Twitter to Amazon, but there’s more news to share this week. Through its on-going partnership with Intel, the NFL plans to install the company’s 360 replay tech in more stadiums before the 2017 season kicks off. Right now, the setup is only available in Baltimore, Houston and San Francisco, but it will be in place for more teams this fall.

Intel acquired Replay Technologies and its so-called freeD 360 tech just over a year ago. The system was used for NBA and MLB games as well as college football. Most recently, 360 replays and “Be the Player” views were part of Fox Sports’ Super Bowl LI coverage. The whole thing is powered by camera setups that capture 5K visuals and Intel servers that can process up to one terabyte of data per 15-30-second clip. Each stadium where this is installed will have both the cameras and the servers on-site to get replay footage to producers quickly.

Today’s announcement doesn’t reveal exactly which other NFL stadiums will get the 360 tech before the 2017 season starts, but you can bet the league will announce more details before players take the field. When the time comes, freeD 360 replays, “Be the Player” views and other content will be available on NFL.com, the NFL Mobile app and the league’s YouTube channel. Intel and the NFL also say they will work with teams and broadcasters on using the technology — something else we’ll likely hear more about in the near future.

Source: Intel

Germany backs fines for social networks that ignore hate speech

Germany is backing its crusade against online hate speech with some legal clout. The country’s cabinet is backing a proposed law that would fine social networks up to €50 million (about $53.3 million) if they don’t block or remove illegal hate speech within 24 hours of receiving a complaint about “obviously criminal content.” The legislation wouldn’t necessarily fine companies for individual infractions, but this theoretically discourages companies from taking a lackadaisical approach to pulling hateful material.

This isn’t official just yet, but the cabinet support boosts the chances that the law will pass during the federal government’s current legislative period.

There are incentives to push for a law like this: a recent survey showed that Facebook only deleted 39 percent of reported criminal content, while Twitter only removed 1 percent. They might take a more aggressive stance if they know that any sustained neglect could be costly. However, both the companies and consumer activist groups are worried that this forces social networks to make judgment calls on whether or not something is illegal, rather than having the court decide. There’s a risk that they may pull legal content out of excessive caution, creating a chilling effect where law-abiding users avoid posting material just to be on the safe side.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Federal Ministry of Justice (translated)

Siri could one day respond to your voice — and your voice alone

Why it matters to you

While most voice-enabled software today recognizes what someone is saying instead of who is saying it, a new Apple patent could change all that.

Siri could soon be loyal to you and you alone. That is, the Siri that lives on your iPhone, of course. As per a new patent application discovered by Patently Apple, it would appear that the iEmpire is working on a new security feature that includes facial and voice recognition. In essence, you could set a vocal password featuring an audio footprint, a sort of Voice Biometrics, and only be able to access your phone (or tell Siri what to do) if you’re … you. Or at least, sound like you.

As it stands, your iPhone is capable of recognizing what someone says, but not who is actually saying it. That means that just about anyone could tell Siri what to do, which could be a problem. As we told you back in February, one Twitter user discovered that even a locked iPhone could reveal plenty of personal information when she accessed the iPhone’s AI assistant.

More: Which virtual assistant would you hire? Cortana vs. Siri vs. Google Now

But soon, those concerns could be assuaged. Apple is looking to train Siri to recognize its owner’s voice before obeying (or even responding to) a command. In the patent, Apple outlines how Siri could require user input of at least one word, where one word needs to be set as the lexical trigger, and could further request the user to say one or more preselected words to determine if the “acoustic properties of the voice of the user” are a match.

And if this technology proves successful, it could be applied to much more than just Siri or your iPhone. Given the multiplicity of voice-controlled gadgets today (think smart home hubs like the Amazon Echo or Google Home), voice recognition could be a huge factor in ensuring that you and you alone can tell Alexa to lock your door or turn down your lights.

Of course, it’s still unclear as to when (if at all) this technology will come to market, but it certainly looks like something to look forward to.

Waze’s latest partnership could keep you safer on European roads

Why it matters to you

Waze’s biggest asset comes in the form of its user base, and now, crowdsourced data could be helping to save lives in Europe with a new pilot program.

Not only might Waze save you from getting lost, the app could save your life, too. Thanks to a new partnership between the European Emergency Number Association (EENA) and the Google-owned real-time crowdsourced traffic and navigation app, there’s a new emergency response system that could be instrumental in keeping you safe on the road.

EENA & Waze announce partnership & Europe-wide public safety pilot project! #EENA2017 https://t.co/ubyMGwAZ2G pic.twitter.com/cnG0HMZhRR

— EENA112 (@112_sos) April 5, 2017

So how will it work? Quite simply, actually. Waze users simply need to drive with their app turned on in order to passively contribute traffic data and other relevant information to fellow users. Should they come across a particularly alarming incident, they can actively share a road report. The hope is that using this crowdsourced data could actually help in emergency management to better response operations, the EENA noted in a news release.

More: Waze rolling out beta invites to its long-awaited Android Auto app

“Waze has always been about connecting people with each other to improve the quality of their driving experience.” said Adam Fried of the Global Partnerships division at Waze. “We are excited to expand this community to emergency first-responders and see how Waze data can help them optimize their route planning and contribute to public safety.”

The traffic app has previously embarked upon a similar project in the U.S. with its Connected Citizens Program. As Fried told The Next Web, “Through our Connected Citizens Program, we’ve already seen that using Waze crash reports can reduce first responder time to the scene of a crash by four and half minutes on average. This type of time interval has the potential to save lives and we want to bring that ability to emergency responders across Europe.”

As part of the pilot program in Europe, when Waze users report an incident, emergency services will receive a notification and use traffic data from the app to optimize their route planning and hopefully cut down on response times. And conversely, emergency services can send information to Waze users about traffic incidents, helping them avoid delays and potentially reduce gridlock.

Alexis Gizikis from EENA concluded, “Waze data could improve the work of first-responders dramatically. What we hope to see is a decrease in response times and an effective two-way communication channel between citizens and authorities.”

New app lets Denon and Marantz A/V receiver owners tweak Audyssey MultEQ settings

Why it matters to you

If you own a supported Denon or Marantz A/V receiver, you now have more control over your setup and sound thanks to a new app.

The Audyssey MultEQ software used by Denon and Marantz makes setting up A/V receivers from either company a breeze. That’s great if you’re looking for a set-it-and-forget it-system, but some home theater enthusiasts want more control over their systems. For this type of person, the companies have announced a new Audyssey MultEQ Editor app that allows for much more fine-tuned control.

“The Audyssey MultEQ Editor app enables users to enjoy reference sound that is free of room acoustics problems and also apply their own listening preferences,” Audyssey Laboratories CTO Chris Kyriakakis said in a statement. “We are very pleased to be working closely with Denon and Marantz to deliver this unique capability for fine-tuning these AV receivers.”

More: Denon has a little something for everyone with its new S-Series A/V receivers

When Audyssey first runs, it measures the size, type and configuration of speakers used, as well as the acoustic response of the room, then automatically tweaks settings for the best response. Denon and Marantz say that the new MultEQ Editor app allows users to go “under the hood,” adjusting every setting that is touched by the automatic setup process.

This doesn’t just mean adjusting EQ — though that can be done, including enabling or disabling midrange compensation for a brighter or mellower sound. You can also examine the speaker layout detected by the setup process and tweak it, based on your own preferences or to correct for any unusual speaker placement, which is a fairly common occurrence since living rooms aren’t often designed with an A/V-first mentality. Before making changes, the software allows you to save calibration results, so you don’t have to worry about being stuck with any changes you make.

More: Denon’s sleek HEOS AVR is coming in April for $1,000

Currently supported Denon A/V receiver models include the AVR-X6300H, AVR-X4300H, AVR-X3300W, AVR-X2300W, AVR-X1300W, AVR-S930H, AVR-S730H, AVR-S920W, and AVR-S720W. Supported Marantz models include the AV7703, SR7011, SR6011, SR5011, and NR1607. Older receivers not on this list likely won’t support the app, though some future releases from both companies will.

The Audyssey MultEQ Editor app sells for $20 and is available for both iOS and Android devices.

Updated on 04-05-2017 by Kris Wouk: Edited to clarify that Chris Kyriakakis is CTO, not CEO, of Audyssey Laboratories.