Google hires industry vet Lyor Cohen as YouTube’s head of music
In a music world where exclusives and direct ties to artists are increasingly important, Google is hoping to give YouTube a boost with its latest hire: Lyor Cohen. The former Def Jam president has most recently been heading up his 300 Entertainment label that started in 2013 with financial backing from companies that included Google. In a letter to employees, Cohen said he will continue running 300, which has been home to artists including Fetty Wap, Migos and Young Thug for another 60 days.
Excited to welcome @lyorcohen as @YouTube’s Global Head of Music. Impressive track record working w/artists & music industry. Welcome Lyor!
— Susan Wojcicki (@SusanWojcicki) September 28, 2016
He’s the latest in a string of music execs making the jump to the tech side as of late, following Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine at Apple, Jay Z with Tidal and, as Billboard mentions, former Lady Gaga manager Troy Carter at Spotify. At YouTube, Lyor Cohen will be the “Global Head of Music” charged with working on its relationships with music companies and artists alike. We’ll see if that results in a series of exclusives to match recent releases from artists like Drake, Beyoncé, Chance the Rapper and Frank Ocean, but the bigger question may be how to get YouTube on a good footing with music labels upset about the rates it’s currently paying them.
Interestingly, this announcement arrives just as word leaks out of Spotify’s potential interest in acquiring SoundCloud, which faces similar challenges in blending user generated content and remixes with licensed major label songs. Now there’s the YouTube Music app, as well as YouTube Red subscriptions, and as Variety reported, claims it’s paid out more than $3 billion to the music industry. While YouTube CEO Susan Wojciki welcomed the new hire, Cohen said in a letter to the YouTube team that “I’m confident that we can bridge the worlds of technology and music in ways that benefit everyone, instead of the zero-sum mentality that exists today. “
Source: Susan Wojcicki (Twitter)
Komatsu’s self-driving dump truck doesn’t even have a cab
Despite the dream of the self-driving car, most autonomous vehicles still have a steering wheel, giving passengers the option to take control at a moments notice. Komatsu’s latest dump truck is a bit different — it doesn’t even have a cab for a human operator to sit in. The company calls it the Komatsu Innovative Autonomous Haulage Vehicle. It’s a 2,700 horsepower autonomous truck designed to increase productivity by taking drivers out of the equation. Specifically, the company is trying to eliminate the three-point turn by developing a vehicle that doesn’t need to see where it’s going.
That may seem like an odd practice to eliminate, but it makes a lot of sense — human drivers can only pilot a vehicle by looking out of the front window, requiring them to turn around once they get to a dump site to deposit materials. A self driving hauler doesn’t have that setback: it can simply reverse course without turning. The autonomous design is also more balanced than a normal truck, with the load equally distributed on its four-wheel drive chassis. The company is hoping the balanced load will help the new hauler better negotiate slippery terrain.
The Innovative Autonomous Haulage Vehicle was only just unveiled in Vegas, but Komatsu says it’s planning to get the rig on the market (and into mining operations) soon.
Via: Popular Mechanics
Source: Komatsu
Google, Facebook and other tech titans form ‘Partnership on AI’
Five of the biggest tech companies have launched a collaboration to help the public understand the benefits of artificial intelligence. The New York Times reported in early September that Google, Facebook, Microsoft, IBM and Amazon had been meeting to discuss an AI-related project. Now, the cat’s finally out of the bag. Their collaboration is officially called “Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society,” and it has a few goals other than to make sure people know that AI research isn’t all about creating killer robots.
Partnership on AI will support related research and recommend best practices in ethics, transparency and privacy when it comes to artificial intelligence studies. The project also aims to create an open platform where researchers and major players in the industry can communicate.
The initiative’s website explains its tenet as follows:
“We believe that artificial intelligence technologies hold great promise for raising the quality of people’s lives and can be leveraged to help humanity address important global challenges such as climate change, food, inequality, health, and education.”
All five founding companies have huge AI projects. IBM, as you know, has Watson, while Google has DeepMind, which you probably recognize as the the team behind AlphaGo. Amazon has Alexa, the voice assistance that’s loaded onto its Echo speakers, while Microsoft has Cortana and a whole bunch of chatbot projects. Finally, Facebook, depends on artificial intelligence for many of its features, including face recognition and its News Feed.
Despite the initiative’s solid lineup, people couldn’t help but wonder why it’s missing one key player: Apple. Microsoft’s Eric Horvitz, who serves as one of the project’s interim co-chairs, told The Guardian that they’ve been in discussions with Cupertino. “I know they’re enthusiastic about this effort,” he said, “and I’d personally hope to see them join.” Another missing name is Elon Musk’s OpenAI, a non-profit AI research project that promises to make its results available to all. That might eventually change, though, since the team plans to invite more companies and non-profits from around the world to be part of the effort.
Via: PopSci, The Guardian
Source: Partnership on AI
Manhattan’s Union Square Cafe Will Outfit Managers With Apple Watches to Improve Hospitality
Union Square Hospitality Group and Resy, a restaurant reservation startup, tonight announced at the TechTable Summit that every manager and sommelier at the Union Square Cafe will be outfitted with an Apple Watch to help improve customer service, reports Eater. The Union Square Cafe is set to reopen in late October and is the flagship restaurant of Danny Meyer, founder of Shake Shack.
Photo via Union Square Cafe
The Apple Watches will be outfitted with restaurant “control center” app ResyOS. Floor managers and sommeliers wearing the watches will receive notifications when VIPs enter the restaurant, when new tables are seated, when guests have waited too long to order, when menu items run out and more.
An iPad running ResyOS will act as the command center at Union Square Cafe’s host’s stand while the Apple Watches will pull the info inputted into the iPad in real-time. The Apple Watch’s function will be focused on cutting out steps and increasing response time. For instance, when a guest is finished dining a manager will get a notification, allowing them to ping a server for the check or the guest’s coat. Sommeliers will get wine orders sent to their Watch, rather than having to wait for a manager to relay the information to them.
Maureen Cushing, Union Square Hospitality’s VP of Technology, tells Eater that ResyOS and the Apple Watches are “another way to respond and listen to our guests.” She also notes that the Apple Watch will not replace communication between servers and management, as servers will not be receiving Apple Watches with ResyOS.
This isn’t the first time that the food and beverage industry has embraced Apple products to improve hospitality. Many smaller restaurants and food trucks have opted to use iPads or iPhones as POS systems in lieu of more traditional options.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch Series 2, watchOS 3
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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20-minute ‘Gears 4’ prologue playthrough looks very familiar
Even the most dedicated Gears of War fan might need a refresher course ahead of the franchise’s fourth numbered sequel. And that’s precisely what the new video from the developers at The Coalition is all about. What’s more, it’s direct feed footage of the first section of the game, aptly titled “Prologue.” So, you can see exactly what sorts of trouble you’ll be getting into in a few weeks.
The 22-minute video covers some of past Gears moments from different perspectives. Those include a battle from Aspho Fields (a key event in the universe’s fiction that hasn’t been in a game previously), Emergence Day when the humans of Serra came in first contact with the Locust enemies and the battle at Anvil Gate that ended the war with those subterranean monsters.
All that and the video sets up the legend of Marcus Fenix, father of 4’s protagonist, J.D.. This isn’t the first time Gears of War has had playable memories. In fact, 2013’s side story, Judgment, was based entirely around that narrative conceit. Kind of a clever way to tie all the games together, no? Sadly this video contains precisely zero new Run the Jewels tracks. Gears of War 4 comes out October 11th on Xbox One and Windows 10.
Source: Xbox Wire
Watch the Rosetta probe fall into its death spiral this Friday
On September 30th, the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Rosetta probe will cap off its 12-year career surveying Comet 67P (aka Churyumov-Gerasimenko) by slowly descending to its surface. There the spacecraft will join its lander Philae, given up for lost and recently re-found, before losing all power upon landing. You can watch Rosetta’s last dance with its comet partner on NASA TV and elsewhere online, both broadcasting the probe’s end with analysis and commentary on Friday from 6:15 AM until 8 AM ET.
Rosetta began its mission in 2004 and finally arrived at Comet 67P on August 6, 2014, becoming the first probe to meet up with and trundle alongside a comet as it hurtled around the sun. But as the pair sped on an outward path away from Earth, scientists knew that eventually the light gathered by the craft’s solar panels would be too dim to power the heaters that ensure its survival.
Thus, the mission directors planned a final rendezvous between comet and probe, where Rosetta will send Earth one last gift before it shuts off for good: A slew of once-in-a-lifetime photographs and measurements of 67P as it descends to its surface. If you’re waiting until the probe begins its final approach, tune in at 7:20 AM ET on Friday, when the old workhorse counts down to its final sign-off.
Source: NASA
Meerkat made a Houseparty app that lets you do group video chats
Meerkat is back, with a new app that already has a million users.
Shortly before Periscope became known as one of the most popular live-streaming apps on the market, a similar app called Meerkat debuted at SXSW and basically became an overnight sensation, but then Twitter bought Periscope and the writing was on the wall for Meerkat.
Fast forward a couple years later, and Meerkat’s creators have launched a group chat app called Houseparty. They actually built Houseparty under the pseudonym Alexander Herzick, according to The Verge, for about 10 months, and even created bogus Facebook and LinkedIn pages to hide the fact that Meerkat was changing its strategy. Meerkat has been demoing the app to college students, and it’s already nearing 1 million users.
Watch the video below to see how Houseparty works. You basically just invite friends via SMS to join your group chat, and then you’re able to video call with all of them at the same time. Your friends obviously need to download Houseparty to join calls, though. The idea is, with Houseparty, you’ll no longer use group texts to check in with many friends at once but rather live video.
Houseparty reportedly grew so quickly that the service was overwhelmed and suffered connection problems. Everything seems to be going well now however, as the new app, which is free to download and use, currently has five-star rating on the Apple App Store and four stars on the Google Play Store.
Add an in-demand skill to your resume with the Microsoft Excel Pro Training (89 per cent off)
When it comes to building budgets, databases, and the like, businesses rely on Microsoft Excel to get the job done. That’s why becoming proficient with this premier spreadsheet software is a smart move if you’re looking to impress on the job hunt.
The Microsoft Excel Pro Training for Mac and PC has 49 hours of training to get you building streamlined spreadsheets like a pro. For a limited time, Pocket-lint readers can get this course bundle on sale for just £22.18 ($29 USD).
Here’s an overview of the tracks you’ll complete in this training:
- Microsoft Excel – Basic: Dive into this CPD-accredited course and develop a solid foundation with the Excel basics. You’ll learn how to organize data using math, logic, statistical, and text functions.
- Microsoft Excel – Advanced: Take your Excel skills further by using VLOOKUP to hone in on particular values. Plus, this course will show you how to create and format pivot tables, so you can summarize and explore data with ease.
As the name suggests, the Microsoft Excel Pro Training for Mac and PC Bundle comes with Excel training for both operating systems. That way, you can show off your Excel expertise regardless of which you prefer.
The Microsoft Excel Pro Training for Mac and PC normally retails for £211. However, Pocket-lint readers can kickstart their Excel education with a special discount, taking the final price down to only £22.18 ($29 USD).
Get a free 60-day membership to Audible, the world’s largest audiobook platform
We all know reading is important, but finding the time to curl up with a good book can be a challenge. Fortunately, you can still get through your reading list without having to crack open a book, thanks to Audible.
The world’s largest provider of audiobooks, Audible lets you take your reading on the go, and Pocket-lint readers can get started with a free 60-day membership.
To sweeten the deal, Audible is offering two free book credits to help you get started. With these credits, you can choose any two books in the library, and they’ll be yours forever. Plus, you’ll receive membership discounts on additional purchases as well.
Audible has a massive selection of over 180,000 audiobooks. Whether you’re looking for a productivity-boosting self-help book or a juicy thriller to spice up your morning commute, Audible has you covered.
With the world’s number one audiobook service, you can enjoy your listening on multiple devices, and you’ll always start right where you left off last. Plus, Audible lets you listen to your audiobooks at up to three times the normal speed, so you can blaze through your reading when you’re short on time.
After your 60-day membership, you can continue your listening journey with Audible for just £11.44 ($14.95 USD) a month. Of course, you can always cancel your membership at any time as well.
Sign up now, and you can enjoy 60 days of Audible membership totally free.
Dutch limo company builds a Tesla Model S hearse
While Tesla updates the AutoPilot software to reduce your risk of meeting an untimely demise behind the wheel of one of its vehicles, Netherlands-based builder RemetzCar is taking a different approach. This Tesla Model S isn’t the first one to get the stretch treatment, but it is apparently the first one intended for use as a hearse. Commissioned by Van der Lans & Busscher BV, it can make sure your last ride is a zero-emissions one in what the company claims is the first fully-electric hearse.
Similar to the Big Limos project shown above, RemetzCar had to remove the battery first, before stretching the aluminum frame of the Model S by 80cm, or about 31.5 inches. The glass windows and roof complete the look, while a retractable floor holds the coffin and has a storage space underneath. The two are showing off their work at the 2016 Funeral Exhibition.
Via: Daily Dot, CNET Roadshow, Electrek
Source: RemetzCar, Van der Lans & Busscher BV
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