‘Vampyr’ and the gender politics of 1918 London
Vampyr, the next game from Dontnod Entertainment features a white, male protagonist. For any other studio, this is de rigueur, something dictated by the gaming industry’s presumed demographic. But for the team behind Life is Strange and Remember Me, it’s the first time they’ve delved into the male mindset. And it wasn’t the result of market research either: It’s because Vampyr’s story wouldn’t have worked any other way.
The PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One game takes place in London, circa 1918. World War I has just ended, the Spanish Flu pandemic is killing thousands, the first wave of feminism has begun and women were recently made eligible to hold seats in Parliament. Elsewhere, communism is beginning to spread outward from Russia. As Dr. Jonathan Reid in Vampyr, you’re caught in the midst of all this and more.
“We needed that kind of setting to make [the story] believable,” said art director Grégory Szucs. “With what we needed from the character at the time, it was perfect to pick a male. It was more interesting and more fitting to pick a woman for Life is Strange.””
Vampyr is a story of duality, according to Dontnod. You play as Reid who believes in science and helping people as a doctor, but you’re also a supernatural being who must take lives and feed on the living to survive. Narrative director Stéphane Beauverger said that there were a few cases of female doctors during this time period, but the vast majority of people with a scientific or medical background were white and male.
“To be historically accurate, if we’d created a female character, each time she went to a house and said ‘Hello, I’m a doctor,” she wouldn’t be believed,” Beauverger said. This plays a direct part into vampire fiction in general: Unless a bloodsucker is invited inside, they can’t cross the threshold of someone’s door.
“Normally as a doctor at this time, when you knock on the door you’re invited in. That makes it very easy for a vampire to enter a house,” he said.
“We needed [Reid] to already have influence over people because of where he comes from and here he was born, his place in society, his being a doctor, all before he was a vampire,” Szucs added.
That’s not to say that there aren’t prominent female characters in Vampyr. Your main point of contact with the underworld, for instance, is an ancient vampire named Lady Ashbury. She’s a sort of matriarch who’s dealing with sexism even in the game’s vampire society. Her role here is to guide Reid through his new life. She’s essentially his moral compass.
“She’s independent,” Beauverger said. “She tries to shake things up.” Sometimes, it’s in subtle ways that we’d overlook today, but were radical ideas in Vampyr’s setting. Like Ashbury wearing something other than a skirt or dress. “It was illegal at the time for women to wear pants,” Beauverger said. But still, Ashbury does.
What’s been shown off of her at this point is minimal, but, given Dontnod’s history, it’s highly unlikely that she’ll be left on the sidelines.
“As a doctor, when you knock on the door you’re invited in. That makes it easy for a vampire to enter a house,” Beauverger said.
Speaking to the studio’s past work and exclusively female protagonists, Beauverger mentioned that story has always dictated who you’re playing as — not his own desires as an admittedly white, male narrative director. Take Dontnod’s first game, Remember Me from 2013. You play as Nilin, a multi-racial woman who, by story’s end, discovers the evils she’s been fighting all game long have been constructed by her parents. Beauverger said that the team didn’t create Nilin because her being a woman would tick a certain box, but because her being a woman was the right fit for their first game.
“That’s why we created that character; not because we wanted to show that a woman can be strong — we know that a woman can be strong.”
“The problem was when we realized that we had negative answers from the marketing team,” Beauverger said. “That’s when we realized we had to fight for this. For us, it was just natural.”
With Vampyr’s main character and Dontnod’s track record of success, however, there likely won’t be much of a pushback from the marketing department ahead of the game’s 2017 release.
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T-Mobile will offer unlimited data for European travel
T-Mobile is continuing its practice of proving to everyone why it should be worthy of the “Un-carrier” moniker. This time around, the company is offering unlimited data with up to 4G LTE speeds throughout Europe for the rest of the summer.
If you’re planning on traveling overseas this summer, you’ll be able to catch up on all your shows and stay in touch with family without worrying about running out of data, just as you’ll be given a free hour of Wi-Fi via Gogo domestic flights — if they happen to offer it, that is. This offer extends even to Verizon and AT&T customers, so if you haven’t quite been convinced that T-Mobile is the carrier for you after all this flash and showmanship, you can at least reap some of the benefits for the weekend.
T-Mobile has also announced that its customers will be able to roam without special charges in Belize going forward, so if that happens to be one of your destinations as you get away for vacation, you’ll hopefully be paying significantly fewer fees, for that area of your trip at least.
T-Mobile is bent on proving its worth by giving its customers special rewards and promotions, though previously they were more focused on goodies and deals (even stocks) rather than expanding data or alleviating charges. It should be interesting to see where it aims next when it comes to pulling in customers.
Source: T-Mobile
Solar Impulse makes first sun-powered Atlantic crossing
The Solar Impulse has become the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic on sun power alone. Piloted by Bertrand Piccard, it arrived in Seville, Spain this morning at 1:38AM ET, and was dramatically greeted by the nation’s Patrulla Águila aerobatic formation team. The 71 hour flight, which started Monday in New York, is the second longest so far. However, it was undoubtedly the most symbolic, coming just over 89 years after Charles Lindbergh’s historic “Spirit of St. Louis” Atlantic crossing.
“It is symbolic because all the means of transportation have always tried to cross the Atlantic, the first steamboats, the first aeroplane, the first balloons, the first airships and, today, it is the first solar-powered aeroplane,” Piccard told the Guardian.
Spectacular #selfie moment over the #AtlanticOcean. Share it if you think the #futureisclean pic.twitter.com/JwOqeFa7Qe
— Bertrand PICCARD (@bertrandpiccard) June 23, 2016
While the Solar Impulse team’s main goal is to cross the world, it has set multiple marks on the way. On top of the record Atlantic crossing, pilot André Borschberg set a record for the longest solo flight ever at 117 hours, besting the previous mark by a prodigious 41 hours. The team has also set night flying records, ironically, thanks to the one-ton lithium battery charged by 17,000 solar panels.
The 236-foot-wide plane can theoretically stay aloft forever, weather and pilot endurance permitting. The lengthy flights aren’t exactly dull, though; Piccard said it’s a roller coaster of tension and work, mixed with awe from the sights like islands, whales and icebergs. “Every minute is a minute of suspense, a minute of challenge, and the fact I can stay [aloft] without fuel or pollution for four days and four nights is something so new.”
The team has now made 90 percent of its trip, and will finish in Abu Dhabi, where it started. It has just a few flights left, and will stay in Saville for a few more days before lifting off toward either Egypt or Greece.
Source: Solar Impulse
AP: VW will shell out $10.2 billion to settle emissions claims
Volkswagen is set to pay $10.2 billion to settle claims in the emissions-dodging scandal, the AP reports. Last year, Volkswagen was caught using software that disguised the true emissions output of 600,000 of its diesel vehicles sold since 2008, and the scandal may affect as many as 11 million automobiles worldwide. So far, the boondoggle has cost Volkswagen an estimated $18.2 billion and it led to the resignation of CEO Martin Winterkorn, among other executives.
Reports surfaced in April that Volkswagen would buy back roughly 500,000 affected vehicles, plus offer extra cash to their owners from an apology fund totaling $1 billion.
Source: The AP
Instagram adds more video channels to your ‘Explore’ feed
Back in April, Instagram added a channel feature to the “Explore” feed inside its apps. Those video channels are getting a lot more options today, displaying content based on the topics that interest you most. In fact, there are 23 different categories total, ranging from baking to hair and makeup tips, trick shots, dancing, art, travel and more. The new channels get pretty specific too, as dog lovers can expect dedicated feeds for Pitbulls, for example. Instead of the broad “Videos You Might Like,” you’ll be greeted with a “Picked For You” feed that fits one of nearly three dozen topics.
Instagram says that the time users are spending watching videos in the app have increased 150 percent in the last 6 months. That’s a period that includes the company bumping the time limit for footage to a full minute. These new channels offer a way to cut through the clutter and find posts you’ll be interested in quickly and easily. Like the initial “Explore” video channels, these new ones are only available in the US for now, but Instagram says it plans to ship the feature to the rest of the world “soon.”
FAA fines Amazon for two more shipments of unlabeled chemicals
Last week, the FAA announced a $350,000 fine for Amazon after the retailer mishandled chemical shipments that resulted in injuries to UPS workers. Today, the agency hit the company with two more fines totaling $130,000 for similar incidents. In 2014, Amazon shipped separate packages, corrosive rust remover and a flammable gas used to clean air conditioners without properly labeling the boxes or sending along the required paperwork. Failure to do so violates the FAA’s hazardous materials guidelines. The box containing Rid O’ Rust Stain Preventer Acid leaked through, but there were no injuries reported.
These two new fines come just days after the FAA cited Amazon for shipping commercial-strength drain cleaner without the appropriate markings and papers. In that case, nine UPS workers had to be treated with a chemical wash after the container leaked and exposed them to the contents. The two penalties come from incidents at FedEx and UPS facilities in which the FAA says Amazon not only failed to mark the boxes and include paperwork, but it also didn’t include emergency response instructions in the event of a chemical spill or leak.
Via: Wall Street Journal
Source: FAA (1), (2)
Apple Music Preparing for Launch in Korea
Apple Music is gearing up for a launch within Korea, according to a few local media outlets within the country. As reported by The Korea Herald, no firm date has been given for the launch yet, but an official from a music copyright association in Korea confirmed that contract negotiations with Apple have gone through, so the debut is expected sometime soon.
“We formed a contract with Apple Music to begin streaming service here,” said an official from Federation of Korean Music Performers. “We made agreements on how to pay the copyright fees to the artists.“
Previous attempts by Apple to introduce the streaming service in Korea failed when similar terms fell through due to strict copyright laws within the country, as well as “a lack of consensus” among local associations like Korean Music Performers.
Apple Music’s debut still has a few hurdles to surpass before it arrives in Korea, including the formation and signing of contracts with local music organizations like Korea Music Copyright Association and the Recording Industry Association of Korea. The company will also have to create deals with Korea’s major record distributors like KT Music and LEON Entertainment, which is the owner of “Korea’s top digital music streaming-download service,” called “Melon.”
Currently, Apple Music is available in over 100 territories including Africa, the Middle East, India, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, the United States, and Canada.
Tag: Apple Music
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Apple Hires Sage Bionetworks President Stephen Friend for Health-Related Projects
Sage Bionetworks president and co-founder Stephen Friend is joining Apple to work on health related projects, according to a press release Sage Bionetworks shared this morning (via Business Insider). Though not specified in the press release, Friend will likely be joining Apple to work on its CareKit and ResearchKit projects.
Friend connected with Apple through ResearchKit, which Sage has been involved in since before ResearchKit launched in 2015.
Sage Bionetworks designed and launched two of the first ResearchKit studies, including the mPower study on Parkinson’s Disease and the Share the Journey study for breast cancer survivors. The company also developed and launched Bridge Server, software that provides back-end data collection and distribution for mobile health apps, which is used by other ResearchKit participants.
As stated by Dr. Friend, “Even though it has been exciting to watch a shift in how researchers work together and in how patients track their own disease, most exciting is how well Sage is now positioned to continue this quest to change how research is done and how people manage their health.”
Prior to co-founding Sage Bionetworks, where he will stay on as chairman of the board, Friend, a noted cancer researcher, led oncology research at Merck & Co and served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School.
Since launching in 2015, ResearchKit studies have been conducted in many countries around the world, including Australia, Austria, China, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Japan, Netherlands, Switzerland, the UK and the US, and have covered issues like asthma, postpartum depression, and cardiovascular disease.
Following the success of its ResearchKit platform, Apple has expanded its healthcare efforts with the April launch of CareKit. While ResearchKit is designed to help researchers collect information from thousands of patients at one time to study diseases, CareKit allows developers to build apps that will let doctors better interface with patients.
Tags: ResearchKit, CareKit
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BioLite’s PizzaDome will let you charge your phone while you cook a pizza
BioLite, which makes, among other things, camping stoves that can charge your phone, has introduced the PizzaDome, a new accessory for its larger BaseCamp stove. With the PizzaDome, you can easily cook pizza, flatbread, and more, all while your phone charges using the stove’s heat.
The PizzaDome is a set that contains a ceramic pizza stone and a lid with an integrated thermometer for keeping your food evenly cooked. While it’s sold separately from the BaseCamp for $69.95, BioLite is currently holding a special launch promotion that essentially gets you the PizzaDome for free for a limited time. The PizzaDome bundle includes both it and the BaseCamp for $299.95 until June 28.
For more on BioLite, be sure to read our review of the company’s Portable Grill and KettlePot.
See at BioLite
When will Android N be released?
We don’t yet know exactly when the next version of Android will land, but Google’s development timetable provides a few clues.
For about as long as Android has existed, a major new platform version has dropped every fall. And starting with 2014’s Lollipop release, Google has preceded that with developer preview builds designed to help devs get their apps ready for new Android releases. This year, that process kicked off a couple of months earlier than expected, with an initial Android N preview in early March.
That’s one of the many signs pointing to a slightly earlier release of “N” than in years past. So when exactly will Android N be finalized by Google and unleashed as a stable release? And when will we learn the version number and nickname of the next version of Android? Well, Google’s timetable offers a few clues.
Above is Google’s official dev preview timeline for Android N, which it has stuck to in the months since the first N preview. Right now we have Developer Preview 4, with final APIs and the ability to target N on Google Play. Next up is a “near-final” system image for “final testing.”
When will we know the Android N version number and nickname?
Seven comes right after six.
If the N release tracks with previous years — specifically M and L — it’s likely the announcement of N’s version number and “sweet treat” nickname will accompany the final developer preview build. Given the timing of previous developer previews, that should fall sometime in mid-July.
As for the version number itself, we’ve seen hints out of Google I/O that it’ll be Android 7.0. And that would be no surprise. Seven comes right after six.
The nickname might well remain shrouded in mystery until the final dev preview arrives. Certain Googlers have already hinted at Nutella, but the fact that Google sought fans help naming N makes another KitKat-style corporate tie-in less likely.
What about Android N’s eventual release date?
Google’s roadmap is less specific about when the final “stable” version of Android N will be released to developers and Nexus devices, offering only a vague “Q3” window. That all but guarantees a launch before the end of September, but we wouldn’t be surprised if, given the timing of the “near final” dev preview 5 in July, we saw something in mid-to-late August.
As in years past, any new Nexus handsets would likely arrive alongside the final release of N, whether it comes in August or September. This year, rumors are swirling around the possibility of a duo of HTC-made Nexus phones.
Android N Developer Preview
The Android N Developer Preview is just that — a developer preview. While it’s now “release candidate beta” quality we still have to issue a word of caution. Tread lightly.
- What’s new in Android N
- All Android N news
- Should you use the Android N Dev Preview?
- About the Android Beta Program
- Join the Discussion
When do you think Android N will eventually arrive? Any guesses on the nickname? Shout out in the comments and share your thoughts!
