Steve Jobs Opera Premieres in Santa Fe This Saturday

An opera based on the life of late Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs is set to open in Santa Fe, New Mexico this Saturday. Called The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, the opera will have its world premiere showing on July 22 at 8:30 p.m on the Santa Fe Opera’s open-air summer stage.

The opera has been in development since 2015, created by electronica DJ Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell. It tells the story of the Jobs and his struggle to balance life, family, and work, and is set to a live orchestra accompaniment, guitar, natural sounds, and expressive electronics, including Apple’s own devices.

Bates described one of the scenes to ABC News in an interview last week, highlighting the moment where Steve Jobs introduces the first iPhone before being exhausted by illness.

At this moment in Mason Bates’ opera “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” a harrowing sound emerges from the orchestra pit, a crushing downward progression that’s described in the score as an “electronic shutdown.”

“It’s a combination of a stand-alone synthesizer with the actual sound on the old Macs of hard drives turning off — and one in reverse booting up,” Bates explained in an interview last week at the Santa Fe Opera, where his work will have its world premiere on Saturday.

“That moment is the realization of his mortality, so I wanted to have that kind of shutdown sound,” Bates said. “Even if you can’t recognize it, it adds a little authenticity that the guy who is the subject of this opera is the creator of some of the devices we’re hearing.”

The opera, which is approximately 90 minutes long, kicks off with a prologue in the garage of the Jobs family home in Los Altos, California, with Jobs father, Paul Jobs, gifting him a workbench.

From there, it jumps to 2007, where Jobs unveils the first iPhone, and then shifts back and forth between 2007 and Jobs’ early years developing Apple. Campbell and Bates, who say the opera does not vilify or glorify Jobs, aimed for a non-chronological timeline dictated by emotion and memory. It will feature Jobs and several supporting characters like Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Laurene Powell Jobs, and Chrisann Brennan, with each character highlighted through a unique series of sounds.

The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs has been financially backed by opera companies in San Francisco and Seattle, with guaranteed performances coming to both California and Washington in the future.

Since his death in 2011, Steve Jobs’ life has been the subject of myriad books, movies, and documentaries, including an Aaron Sorkin-penned Danny Boyle-directed feature film that debuted in 2015.

Tag: Steve Jobs
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CEO Arto Nummela abruptly departs HMD Global ahead of Nokia 8 launch

Why it matters to you

With the departure of HMD Global’s CEO, we could possibly see more changes to come for the manufacturer in the future.

HMD Global — the manufacturer now making Nokia-branded phones — and CEO Arto Nummela have gone their separate ways, the company announced on Wednesday in a press release. HMD Global explains that Nummela’s departure was a “mutual agreement” between the two parties and appointed president Florian Seiche to take his place with immediate effect.

It’s unclear as to why Nummela would leave in the midst of introducing an entirely new lineup of Android powered-smartphones throughout the year — like the Nokia 3, 5, and 6. Especially with the anticipated launch of the rumored company flagship — Nokia 8 — the upcoming events could be pivotal for the brand.

The Nokia 8 is a mix of Nokia’s old Windows phones — with a vertically stacked camera enclosure on the back — and the familiar look of Android devices. There are almost no bezels on the sides but ones above and below the screen are more noticeable. According to rumors, it will include a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 system-on-chip, 4GB of RAM, and 64 GB of internal storage. As far as operating systems, the device is said to be running Android version 7.1.1.

Photos of the Nokia 8 leaked by Evan Blass shows the device in a blue and silver, but it will reportedly be available in two other color combinations — a mix of gold and blue along with a mix of gold and copper. In terms of the camera, the device will likely come with a 23-megapixel rear-facing camera and is rumored to cost anywhere from $630 to $680 priced in euros.

The agreement between HMD Global and Nokia was announced in May 2016 but wasn’t finalized until December. The new partnership finalized that HMD Global can use Nokia’s brand name and design on smartphones built by Foxconn-owned FIH Mobile over the next 10 years. Among the designs, HMD Global promised a range of smartphones and tablets.

Expectations were already high for HMD Global when it came to following through on their promises — knowing the recognition attached to the Nokia name. Also at stake was the already loyal fan-base who were disappointed by Microsoft’s treatment of Nokia following its acquisition. For the sake of those fans, let’s hope the change in CEO doesn’t signal any trouble for the manufacturer.

Microsoft OneDrive can now save all kinds of different file types

Why it matters to you

Microsoft OneDrive can now help you recover that important file version no matter what kind of file it is.

There are a number of cloud storage options available. Google has Drive, there is Box that is particularly aimed at businesses, and then Dropbox offers a range of capabilities for both consumers and commercial customers alike. And then there is Microsoft OneDrive, which is most closely tied to Windows 10 and the company’s Office productivity suite.

Each of these services offers a mix of features and functions that are aimed at getting users to commit their most important information and competition remains fierce. Microsoft is not standing still with OneDrive, and on Wednesday it expanded its popular Version History capability that helps users recover from unwanted document changes.

OneDrive Version History lets users see previous versions of documents going back a full 30 days. Right-clicking on a document in OneDrive via the web interface and selecting “Version History” provides a list of versions and ability to restore or open an older version. Version History incorporates Microsoft’s OneDrive sharing features, meaning that users can also see who modified a document.

Until now, the Version History feature only worked with Microsoft Office files, such as Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, and PowerPoint presentations. Wednesday’s change extends versioning controls to all file types, meaning that OneDrive now allows users the same piece of mind for PDFs, CAD files, photos, videos, and more. Because the Version History provides information on when a modification occurred and who modified it, along with file size information, users can easily locate the best version and restore it.

This is one of the most requested OneDrive features on Microsoft’s OneDrive UserVoice site and so it should make some people very happy. That is a good thing because the battle for cloud storage dominance is a competitive one and Microsoft’s productivity solutions depend on OneDrive to tie users, documents, and workflows together. Google Drive performs the same function for its own Docs productivity suite and features like Version History can make the difference in winning users over.

The feature will begin rolling out on Wednesday and will eventually make its way to all users over the summer. If you don’t see the feature immediately, you need to exercise a little patience.

Intel updates its desktop CPU price sheet with the Core X-Series 12-core chip

Why it matters to you

Intel’s update to its pricing information gives us a better idea of what the company will charge for its upcoming 12-core processor and how fast it will perform.

Intel recently updated its desktop processor pricelist to refresh its lineup of Core X-Series chips. The sheet now includes a 12-core model, the Core i9-7920X, costing $1,189 when it arrives in August. Other details added to the 12-core entry include the base clock speed, cache amount, and a few other tidbits of information.

Here is the complete updated Core X-Series list:

Cores
Threads
L3 Cache
Base Speed
Boost Speed
Price
Availability
i9-7920X
12
24
16.5MB
2.90GHz
?
$1,189
August
i9-7900X
10
20
13.75MB
3.30GHz
4.30GHz
$989
Now
i7-7820X
8
16
11MB
3.60GHz
4.30GHz
$589
Now
i7-7800X
6
12
8.25MB
3.50GHz
4.00GHz
$383
Now
i7-7740X
4
8
8MB
4.30GHz
4.50GHz
$339
Now
i7-7640X
4
4
8MB
4.00GHz
4.20GHz
$242
Now

What Intel’s latest pricing information currently doesn’t show are the three remaining processors residing at the top of the Core X-Series totem pole: The Core i9-7940X, the Core i9-7960X, and the Core i9-7980XE. Intel is presumably holding off on adding this information until the launch date grows near.

However, Intel could also be waiting for AMD’s two Ryzen Threadripper chips rip into the desktop PC scene in August. AMD’s 16-core 1950X will have a base speed of 3.4GHz and a price set at $999 while the 12-core 1920X model will have a base speed of 3.5GHz and a price set at $799. That said, the CPU clock speed wars will be interesting to see starting next month.

AMD’s upcoming thread-ripping 1950X will have the same number of cores as Intel’s upcoming Core i9-7960X chip, but sporting a higher base clock speed while commanding a lower price point. The same holds true when comparing AMD’s 1920X 12-core processor against Intel’s upcoming Core i9-7920X chip. What is disappointing is that, initially, AMD will only offer two Threadripper chips.

Check out the comparison below, but take note that Intel’s three unlisted processors are not due to arrive until October, so prices and speeds could change before then.

Cores
Threads
Base Speed
Price
Availability
Intel Core i9-7980XE
18
36
2.70GHz
$1,999
October
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1950X
16
32
3.40GHz
$999
August
Intel Core i9-7960X
16
32
2.90GHz
$1,699
October
Intel Core i9-7940X
14
28
3.00GHz
$1,399
October
AMD Ryzen Threadripper 1920X
12
24
3.50GHz
$799
August
Core i9-7920X
12
24
2.90GHz
$1,189
August
Core i9-7900X
10
20
3.30GHz
$989
Now

Another factor we would like to point out in the Intel versus AMD war this fall is that the two Ryzen Threadripper chips will support up to 64 PCI Express lanes at launch. Right now, we do not have any information regarding Intel’s i9-7980XE, i9-7960X, and i9-7940X chips arriving in October in that regard. However, the i9-7920X and i9-7900X support up to 44 PCI Express lanes, and the i9-7820X and i9-7800X chips support up to 28 lanes.

What is unknown for now is the boost clock speed of Intel’s newly added i9-7920X processor on the pricing sheet. All 10 cores of the current i9-7900X chip reach a peak speed of 4.30GHz, but there is no clear indication that the 12 cores in the i9-7920X will reach the same peak speed. We will just have to see how the two compares when the i9-7920X CPU hits the desktop PC market in August.

Join us as we take on the Destiny 2 beta live right here

Every Wednesday, staff writer Brad Bourque and content manager Hanif Jackson take on a different video game, streaming their victories and embarassing defeats on Facebook live. Not wanting to fall behind on current trends, the pair is taking on Destiny 2 during the closed beta, which began on Tuesday, July 18th.

There are a lot of changes to Destiny 2 from the last game, and not just in the sense of graphical updates and a new story line. There are wide-reaching balance changes to weapons, which will allow players to equip two primary weapons, instead of a primary and secondary, with shotguns and sniper rifles moving to the heavy weapon slot. In Destiny, shotguns dominated the Crucible scene while sniper rifles like Black Spindle kept the best players well equipped to defeat the hardest raid bosses. Ammo is now harder to come by for both, forcing players to make tough choices, and rely more heavily on primary weaponry like rifles and hand cannons.

The story is also a bigger part of the in-game experience this time around. There have always been brief cutscenes and cinematic events in the game, but the longer, more involved story pieces will take center stage during missions and firefights now. That’s a big change from the previous title’s grimoire cards, which provided lore information outside the game.

Patrol missions have also been beefed up, with new secrets to find, and a wider variety of tasks to complete. Add in the fact you don’t have to jump back to orbit to run missions anymore, and the game should feel a lot more seamless than it ever did before. During the beta, players have access to introduction mission, a multiplayer strike, and of course, the PvP Crucible, where they can try their hand at taking down other Guardians.

As always, you can join us here for the live stream and watch it above, or head over the Digital Trends Facebook page to catch the action. Let us know in the chat if you have any questions. We’ll be streaming from 4:00 PM PST to 4:30 or 5:00, with coverage from our TechPop event in New York afterward!

Seataci superyacht concept mimics a whale’s tail-propulsion system

Why it matters to you

This concept offers a reminder of the role of scale, since moving a superyacht like a whale is a lot easier than mimicking a guppy.

What do blue whales and 70-meter fast-displacement superyachts like Hessen’s Galactica Super Nova have in common? They can both cruise for long distances at 12-14 knots and top out at about 30 knots — using a similar propulsion system. The blue whale’s method of moving fast and far in the water inspired Charles Bombardier when he designed the biomimetic propulsion system for the Imaginactive Seataci superyacht concept.

Bombardier’s original vision for the Imaginactive Seataci superyacht came when he was scuba diving. He wondered about the possibility of eco-friendly propulsion systems for cruise ships that could navigate shallow waters. Bombardier was apparently thinking about how cruise ship passengers could view the underwater wonders without their vessel simultaneously destroying them.

Under further consideration, the designer/innovator realized the potential for such a craft used in scientific research and experimentation. The Seataci’s whale-tail-action engines would be located in retractable pods on either side of the vessel’s upper section.

According to Bombardier, with the biomimetic system, the Seataci could travel in shallow waters without damaging power and navigation components while likely making less underwater noise and possibly operating more efficiently than conventional propellers.

As envisioned by Bombardier, Seataci’s lower section would have expansive observation areas and some passenger cabins. Overall the Seataci concept as illustrated would have a dozen passenger cabins plus crew living quarters.

The design includes two large swimming pools and space for two personal drone landing pads on the top deck. He also foresees an application as a landing platform for drones to allow people to visit small islands without needing to dock or disperse tenders. With cruise ships more than research vessels in mind, Bombardier also envisioned tropical gardens around the pools.

The Seataci’s lower hull would use water as ballast to submerge or rise while the pods on the upper section of the ship would serve the dual purposes of stabilization and to keep the ride smooth. The scale of the structures would be large enough that passengers and crew could move into either pod for various raised views.

Bombardier acknowledges that developing a propulsion system of this type at a scale large enough to move a superyacht involves a significant risk. His argument is that because current propulsion systems are not eco-friendly and also restrict access to shallower waters, that if the oscillating system could work, the risk would be worth it.

NASA says the buzzing of drones is more annoying than the sound of other vehicles

Why it matters to you

Findings could prove a headache for those dreaming of widespread drone deliveries.

Do you remember that scene in Dumb and Dumber where Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels’ characters showcase what they claim to be “the most annoying sound in the world?” Well, had that movie been made in 2017 instead of 1995, it seems there would be a new contender for irritating noises: The buzzing of drones.

Well, according to NASA scientists, that is.

In a new study carried out by NASA, 38 test subjects highlighted the sound of drones (or sUAS — small unmanned aerial vehicles, as NASA calls them) as the most annoying noises of any ground vehicle. Subjects were played recordings of commercially-available drones — as well as cars, utility vans, and box trucks — and asked to rate recordings on a scale ranging from “not at all annoying” to “extremely annoying.” Drones did not fare well.

“What we found was that the sounds of the sUAS produced systematically larger annoyance responses than the sounds of the cars when presented at the same volume,” research engineer Andrew Christian told Digital Trends.

While this work is only preliminary, it could nonetheless prove to be a fly in the ointment for companies like Amazon that dream of drone deliveries being an everyday occurrence. (As if overcoming regulatory hurdles was not already enough of a headache.) “I hope that this does not lead to a damping of the deployment of drones for any application — not just package delivery,” Christian said. “That was not our intention. Further, NASA is not a regulatory body, and this research is not aligned with any direct attempt to study the noise of sUAS for those purposes.”

He also pointed out that things can change. We might currently be uncomfortable with drone sounds because it is a new sound we have yet to get accustomed to. Jump forward 30 years and a similar study could yield very different results.

“I would argue that the factors that arise that would fall under the category of familiarity can swing both ways,” Christian said. “[In the case of an airport, for example,] someone who found employment when it was built might feel very differently about aircraft noise than the person who had to be removed several city blocks to a new home when the runway was subsequently extended. [Changing responses might also be] not be so much of a cognitive familiarity, but more of an acclimatization. That, too, can have surprising effects. An old friend of mine used to live in an apartment above the elevated J/M/Z lines in Brooklyn. He would sleep like a rock, except for when the train stopped running in the middle of the night because then he knew to wake up early in order to give himself more time to commute to work.”

In other words, wait until you’re all working for drone companies and then say they are annoying! You can check out the complete NASA research paper here.

SpaceX aims to reuse rockets within 24 hours by 2018

Elon Musk shared more of SpaceX’s plans to get its rockets to full reusability today at the International Space Station R&D conference. Those plans include faster turnaround for recycled Falcon 9 rockets and recovery of the rocket’s nose cone.

SpaceX successfully relaunched and landed a Falcon 9 rocket for the first time in March, but it wants to be able to land and reuse them within 24 hours, which Musk says could happen next year. Last month, the company also reused a Dragon cargo capsule for the first time and earlier this year, SpaceX was able to land a nose cone, which it hadn’t done before. Now, the company is working on landing and recovering the nose cone for reuse, which Musk said they were “quite close” to being able to do.

Being able to reuse all of the launch components is necessary for a Mars mission, Musk said and it’s also what will keep space flight costs down. The nose cone alone costs around $6 million. In April, SpaceX said that the refurbishment and reuse of its Falcon 9 first stages cost much less than half of what new ones cost, but those savings haven’t yet translated to Dragon reusability. Musk said the recycled Dragon capsule cost around the same amount or possibly even more than building a new one.

Nose cone recovery could occur by end the of this year or the beginning of 2018, according to Musk and he added that SpaceX is going to try to land and reuse the rocket’s second stage as well. Once all of that is successful, SpaceX will be much closer to its goal of rapid and complete reusability.

Source: TechCrunch

Self-driving cars could hit US roads before federal laws are in place

A House of Representatives panel just greenlit a measure that, once officially signed into law, would allow thousands of autonomous cars to hit the road while federal legislators draft more comprehensive safety laws. It would be a significant first step in nationally regulating the rollout and operation of self-driving vehicles — or at least get them on streets while the finer details are being worked out.

Now the bill heads to the full House Energy and Commerce Committee, which might vote on it as early as next week and reach the House floor after the August recess, according to Bloomberg. The legislation would exempt automakers from US safety rules and allow them to let loose tens of thousands of autonomous vehicles on American roads, all while prohibiting states from regulating their mechanical, software and/or safety systems. While that’s probably annoying for all the work California has put in developing its own rules, Wired points out, it’s an aggregate boon for the majority of states that haven’t produced their own regulations.

While the panel’s approval was bipartisan, Democrats still have concerns about digital security requirements. In the House’s current version of this bill, automakers and tech firms would need to establish a cybersecurity plan before a self-driving car hits the road. (Details haven’t been released about the Senate’s version.) Regardless, this legislation would provide rudimentary rules while comprehensive regulation is still being debated, and allow companies to get their products tested and deployed sooner rather than later. That’s probably be a relief to companies like Apple and Tesla that are stuck trying to change autonomous car laws on a state-by-state basis.

Source: Bloomberg

‘Doom’ 6.66 unloads a host of hellish updates free of charge

Hell is about to be unleashed for a very affordable price. Bethesda’s “ultimate” edition of Doom rolls out to PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 with the new 6.66 update. How’s that for a nice, round, hellish number? The update unlocks all the multiplayer DLC for everyone, offers skill-progression Runes in multiplayer and also comes with a new progression system. Instead of random loot unlocks in multiplayer, you’ll get to work toward specific upgrades. Not only that, but you can grab the whole new edition, including the SnapMap level editor and arcade mode, for $14.99. If you just want to try it out, there will be free weekends on each platform this month, as well.

The developer also overhauled “most” of the in-game heads-up display, “including better callouts for challenges, awards and scoring.” The new kill card screen should also make it easier to know more about how and why you died, along with who exactly destroyed you.

“Players will also discover numerous improvements throughout the menus and user interface,” writes the developer in a blog post, “including completely revised post-match summaries as well as updates that better illustrate player status in lobbies, highlight the new progression options and status, and better outline weapon, equipment and demon characteristics.”

If the $15 price doesn’t convince you to launch yourself into hell, you can give the title a test run for free at 12pm ET on July 20 for Xbox One, 1pm ET on the same day for PC and then at 12pm ET on July 27th for PlayStation players.

Via: Polygon

Source: Bethesda