Parliament Funkadelic - One Nation Under A Groove (docu 2005)

K-Pop...Butt Kicking Import

      Seoul - The sprawling genre commonly known as K-Pop has operated outside the American pop lime-light.  But now, A-list producers like Kanye West, are lining up to work with South Korean artists.  K-Pop comes alongside a tide of Korean filmmaking and culinary interest in Los Angeles and the United States.  The fan scene in America has been largely centered on major immigrant hubs like Los Angeles and New York. That some K-Pop stars are American born or raised influences their personalities and deepens their connection to United States audiences.  2016 may be the year a K-Pop artist makes an American pop crossover.  See also, http://www.billboard.com/.

Silicon Valley Technology Companies Tout Healthy Websites and Healthy Bodies

     Silicon Valley - After twenty-something billionaires like Dustin Moskovitz and Mark Zuckerberg gained the Facebook 15 (15 pounds) a nutritionist was hired and health foods became the normal cuisine at its Silicon Valley headquarters.  Things like ergonomic treadmill workstations that allow you to work while exercising, a seven person bicycle that provides an alternative to piling into conference rooms  for meetings, food that implies healthiness, and tricky new gadgets that measure performance  are all helping to increase creativity and productivity in the digital fitness age at some Tech firms in Silicon Valley.  See also, www.wired.com. 

Music Therapy Puts Toys to Good Use

       New York -  Somehow elderly alzheimer, and possibly dementia patients, respond to the soul stirring vibrations of music.  The first time you see a telephone with big numbers for handicapped people to see easier, you might think, 'cool'.  Nintendo's Wii is being used in retirement homes to help seniors get exercise.  Ipods are now sprouting up in retirement homes, as medical studies say there may be benefits of music as treatment.  Whether there is a physiological reason, or a simple cultural enjoyment has yet to be determined.  However, a New York city non-profit group, called Music and Memory, that donates iPods to nursing homes is attempting to enable the program to every nursing home in the U.S.  See also, http://www.nytimes.com/.

"The Martian" Provides Entertainment and Sparks Intellectual Debate

     Washington, D.C. -  Ridley Scott's science-fiction smash hit, "The Martian", led the box office for almost a month,  presented an American can-do spirit, and brings up the topic of whether an entirely STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education is really all you need to attain success.  Some politicians in a recent presidential debate made it sound, to some viewers, as if studying liberal arts and humanities is a threat to national prosperity or national security.
     In "The Martian" astronaut Mark Watney, portrayed by Matt Damon, must survive on meager resources until the next humans arrive, possibly years away.  Some politicians and policymakers have made talking about the value of a liberal arts and humanities education versus STEM seem almost like a sport.  Throughout the movie astronaut Watney, his crewmates, and the scientists back on Earth display ingenuity, insight, and innovation to conquer seemingly impossible odds.  But Watney also has a philosophical side to his STEM side.  The astronaut begins to realize a rescue mission will cost  hundreds of millions of dollars.  He reflects on why they are going through with the rescue mission, at all.
     Most of all the movie shows, according to The Washington Post, that we need high-tech wizards that create with human values in mind, otherwise science itself will lead us off course.  "The Martian" shows us we really need high-tech workers, that are broadly educated and that have the ability to adapt their learning to a variety of jobs and occupations.  See also, www.washingtonpost.com. 

The Weekend - Can't Feel My Face

Sony Smartphone and Smartwatch

      Las Vegas - The Sony Xperia (TM) is a smartphone from the Xperia NXT series.  The Xperia S is an Android smartphone that delivers an awesome viewing experience with a high resolution screen and Sony HD with a 12 MP camera. Xperia S will be able to access the richest entertainment experiences from the Sony Entertainment Network ** Music Unlimited.  Music Unlimited offers a global catalog of 12 million songs.  According to Sony, Video Unlimited has the most recent Hollywood movie blockbusters and TV shows.  Xperia S is also Play Station Certified (TM), guaranteeing a high-quality smartphone video-gaming experience and access to the Play Station Store.  Sony's smartwatch can be paired to the smartphone so that text messages, social media updates, the ability to manage calls, do music, and much more.  See whole story,. www.sony.com.                    

Virtual Reality Coming of Age

      New York - Video-game players (gamers) love to put themselves into virtual-reality gaming worlds. Virtual-reality (VR) devices are sold mainly for video-games 3-D immersive video puts you on stage with Cirque de Soleil.  Strap on a headset and you are in three-dimensions (3-D
). Screen and graphics technologies have finally gotten good enough to give you a realistic and responsive gaming experience.  See also, www.samsung.com. 

Gwen Stefani - Rich Girl ft. Eve

Cell Phone Part Makes Good Car Part Too

       Washington, D.C. -  Traditional windshields are made of two layers of heat-treated glass,  with a plastic layer in between.  This, so-called, annealed glass, forms a spider-web pattern when it breaks, and the pieces are designed to stick to the plastic layer to prevent injury to passengers.  Now, automakers are turning to a new product that will increase vehicle fuel efficiency.  Corning Inc.'s Gorilla Glass is used in the screens on billions of mobile phones, carmakers can use the automotive version to improve fuel efficiency.  Gorilla Glass has been used by the consumer products industry since 2007.  BMW was the first automaker to use Gorilla Glass in 2014, when it used Gorilla Glass on the material forming the inner panel for its i8 Hybrid sports car.  According to Ford Motor Co., Ford will be the first car manufacturer to use Gorilla Glass for a windshield on it's pricey $400,000 Ford GT.  See also,  www.caranddriver.com. 

Adele - Hello

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts Ride - Universal Studios - Or...

Harry Potter Roller Coaster

        Orlando - Guests walk in and  out Hogsmeade Village at the Universal Orlando Resort in Orlando Florida.  "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Diagon Alley"  has opened (June 2014).  The attraction is modeled after the London, England  shopping district for wizards, that is featured in the Harry Potter book series.  The opening of  'Dragon Alley' is expected to provide a boost to Universal Orlando's revenues, and tourism in Central Florida.  Dragon Alley is geared toward shopping and eating. Dragon Alley guests can purchase collectible souvenirs, such as interactive wands, that trigger special effects within the park.  See also, www.universalorlando.com.       

Fantasy Footbal Denied in New York

        New York - At issue is whether fantasy sports are a game of skill or gambling.  For now, a New York court, has required that daily fantasy sports companies Fan Duel and Draftkings stop operating in the state of New York.  If other states follow suit, it could be the death nail in the coffin for Fan Duel and Draftkings.  $100 million in entry fees from New York alone came in this year.  State lawmakers in California will also meet to discuss the issue of gambling, tax revenue, and protecting the consumer.  See also,  www.foxbusiness.com. 

Xbox One Voice and Motion Recognition

       Redmond, Washington - Microsoft announced that streaming content apps like Netflix, Hulu Plus, Amazon Instant Video, VUDU, Crackle, ESPN, Univision, Fox, CW, HBO, and the NFL will all be on Xbox One, some as soon as Spring 2014. Graphically, the Xbox One interface is able to switch between video games, watching live episodes of television, and viewing the channel guide. Xbox One can also, record and upload footage captured from video games and the Kinect motion sensor. Microsoft introduced the machine as an all-in-one entertainment solution for living rooms, that allows users to switch between activities on a TV screen, by just telling the machine what to do without needing to press buttons. Rather than the previous super-powered gaming console that the Xbox 360 is, Microsoft has included other audiences than just gamers. See also, www.xboxone.com.

Smart Watches Get A Little Smarter For The Holidays

      Smart phones do the heavy work such as downloading apps and loading full web pages.  But smart watches may can now act like assistants to the smart phones.  Smart watches can now stay in contact with your smart phone and serve as a representative of the telephone to the outside world,  monitoring traffic between your smart telephone and other wireless devices.  Sony's SmartWatch2 uses a bigger screen and is water resistant.  For 2013 a smart watches main function is to act as a handy second screen for your smart phone.  The premise is to allow users to dismiss useless phone notifications and allow you to only grab the handset when absolutely necessary.  Smart watches linked to operating systems, like Android for example, will receive alerts for texts, calls, and social media updates while on the wearers wrist.  Smart watches will also be able to control your phones music player, so you won't have to reach into your purse or pocket to change volume or skip to the next track.  And, ultimately at the cash register, near field communication (NFC) is a natural component that allows a relatively secure way to pay bills, by simply waving your smart watch wearing wrist at   NFC enabled cash registers, while leaving your smart phone in your purse or pocket.  See also, www.sony.com.          

Solar Panel Company Helps Power Zero Emissions Oil Refinery

     Silicon Valley - GlassPoint Solar's  power supply generators will be used in a popular kind of oil extraction process.  Natural gas is normally used in this type of oil recovery process, but natural gas is scarce and therefore expensive in many parts of the Middle East, and natural gas emissions are not good for the earth's atmosphere. 
     GlassPoint's solar project will provide one-third of the steam at Oman's Amal oilfield.  Experts estimate GlassPoint will save some 300,000 tons of Co2 emissions each year.  Unlike traditional solar companies that focus on solar panels, GlassPoint uses mirrors that are specifically designed for oil operations.  The 300,000 tons of carbon emissions projected to be kept from polluting the earth's atmosphere, amount  to the equivalent of 63,000 car's annual exhaust emissions, or put another way, it is more Co2 emission savings than all the electric cars sold by Tesla and Toyota combined in the United States.  "It's very energy intensive to produce energy.  Unlike gas-fired units, GlassPoint's units, GlassPoints solar steam generators produce zero emissions," GlassPoint co-founder and CEO Rod MacGregor told CNNMoney.  See, whole story, www.cnn.com. 

Porsche 911 Turbo 997 VS Dodge Viper SRT 10 1/4 Mile Drag Race Viertelme...

CEO Says Expect Delays for DC-Comic's Shows on Netflix and Hulu

     Hollywood - Fans of superhero shows based at the DC-Comics universe might have to wait longer for past season's episodes to come to Hulu and Netflix.
     The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DC-Comics owner, Timer-Warner Inc., told analysts Time-Warner is considering whether to let online services like Hulu and Netflix have shows several years after they first air, rather than one year later.  He said that could mean more episodes available on-demand to traditional cable customers.  Holding shows from online services would make traditional cable and satellite TV packages more attractive.  There are eight DC-Comics shows on TV right now, including "The Flash," "Arrow," "Gotham," and the newcomer "Supergirl."  Jeff Bewkes, CEO of Time-Warner, says "Time-Warner is focused on delivering even more value to consumers, especially those who subscribe to the traditional bundle."  See also, www.hollywoodreporter.com.

Department of Dronerized Vehicles

     Washington, D.C. - Drone owners may have to put a registration number on their drones, kind of like a license plate.
     In recent months, drones have crashed into the White House and the U.S. Open, have obstructed forest fire rescues, and have come too close to commercial airliners.  A drone registration process will help the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) figure out who was responsible in any drone-related accident, and it could deter people who would otherwise do something silly with a drone if they know their name is on file with the government.  Another safety measure is location-tracking, called geo-fencing, this technology stops drones from getting to close to buildings to better protect United States citizens.  According to Quartz magazine, not everyone is a fan of the FAA's registration proposal.  Jonathan Rupprecht, an attorney that handles laws on drones and drone registration, thinks registration alone is impractical, "Registration points you to who might have caused the incident, geo-fencing can help prevent it, says Rupprecht.  See whole story, www.qz.com.       

Amazon's Wholesale Data Processing Cloud

     Silicon Valley - Amazon Web Services (AWS), the company's network of servers, data storage technology, and virtual computing platforms is going to bring Amazon more than $7 billion in sales this year.  AWS has a remarkable revenue record, its growth has been the fastest in history for any information technology (IT) company.
     Amazon launched AWS nine years ago and AWS revenue is expected to be greater than $10 billion in annual sales in 2016.  Previously the $10 billion annual revenue mark took Apple 19 years, and, according  to some industry sources, Microsoft took 22 years, and Oracle took 23 years.  See whole story, www.cnn.com.           

Virtual Reality Video Cameras

     Cupertino -  Virtual reality goggles are an emerging technology and Lytro is a Silicon Valley camera company taking this technology to large companies and consumers.  In November 2015 Lytro announced the Immerge, a professional-grade e-camera system made for capturing video for virtual-reality headsets.
     The next generation of videos will let you move around in and interact with a scence in the video.  Neighbors of Lytro in the virtual-reality market are Sony, Google, Facebook, and GoPro.  The Immerge is not a consumer device, the system will cost between $100,000 and $500,000.  The market for these are usually virtual-reality studios, sports leagues, and big-name Hollywood studios.
     For the regular consumer Lytro had the Lytro Camera at $399 in 2012,  and the Illum a new higher-end camera that cost $1,200 in 2014.  Lytro declined to share sales numbers for either product, but, both have struggled to find customers.  "We always thought of the Illum as a stepping stone," said CEO Jason Rosenthal.  "I'm super bullish on virtual-reality and augmented reality.  Done right it really is the next logical way for people to interact with computers.  See whole story, www.cnn.com.                 
   

Privacy Rules for Drones

     Sacramento - Prosecution for invasion of privacy will be permitted when aerial drones are used to photograph or record another person in a private setting .  See full story, www.sacramentobee.com. 

President Appears on Broadway

     New York - Republicans claim the  Democratic primary debate sponsored by the financial news network last week, lacked substance, and that the reporters there moderating failed to follow agreed-upon standards.  An effort to establish more rules regarding Presidential candidate debates remained uncertain Monday evening. 
     Speaking ahead of a performance of the musical "Hamilton," an audacious hip-hop telling of Alexander Hamilton's life, the President said, "They occupy a different reality" on major issues.  "According to them everything was really good in 2008," he said, "When we were going through the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes; unemployment and uninsured rates were up, we were hopelessly addicted to  foreign oil, and Osama Bin Laden was still on the loose, this apparently was the golden age that I messed up."  See full story, www.CNN.com.     
 

Professional Grade Drones Will Give Hollywood's Television and Film Studios a Lift in Their Profits

      Raglan - Six figure price tag drones will help meet demand for motion picture and television studio's need for aerial camera platforms.  However, if drones can be used satisfactorily in television and film production, they can drastically reduce costs. 
     According to Los Angeles -based drone production firm Aerial MOB, helicopter rentals can go as high as $30,000 a day, while daily drone rental rates for motion picture making are as low as $10,000 to $15,000 per day to the production studio.  Until now, cinematographers have bolted specialized add-ons, like cinema-quality cameras, to off-the-shelf drones that cost a few thousand dollars each.  Two New Zealand drone manufacturers, Aeronavics and Shotover Camera Systems, want to change that.  Until recently, drone use in feature films and television was limited to productions shot outside the United States, but late last year Washington began granting exemptions to commercial drone users on a case-by-case basis.  Of nearly 700 exemptions issued by the Federal Aviation Administration at the start of July 2015, approximately half of them were for aerial photography (including transmitting live television).  Unmanned aerial vehicles have been used in films that include:  "Dr. Who", "Twilight", "007 Skyfall", "Furious 7", "Jurassic World", and other hits.  "A lot of people have been shooting with drones in the past few years but not really in the very high-end space, so that's where our business will operate, "says Shotover Camera Systems'  general manager Brad Hurndell.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.                  

New Drone Legislation Would Give Six Months in County Jail and/or Thousands of Dollars in Fines

      Sacramento - Senate Bill 168 looks likely to become law.  SB 168 will protect emergency responders from any liability for the destruction an an unauthorized drone during firefighting or medical support operations.  Private UAVs have disrupted firefighting operations several times this year, including during a wildfire last month on Interstate 15 in San Bernardino, California.  See full story...http://www.kfi640.com. 

British Academy of Film and Television Arts Presented The 11th Annual B.A.F.T.A. Video Game Awards

           London - The 11th British Academy Video Game Awards ceremony, was presented by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA), in March of 2015.  It was as good as it gets including 25 exciting categories, a red carpet entry with nominee interviews, an opening performance by Riva Taylor, and more.  The awards show honored such  computer and video game categories as:  best video game, best video game designer, best video game animator, greatest video game breakthrough technology, best video game music, and more categories.  BAFTA took place in March of 2015, at the Tobacco Dock, in London, England.   See full story, www.bafta.org.   

Drones Cost Crucial Hours of Fire-Fighting Time in California

      Newhall - Fire-fighter injuries and delays in fire-retardant-dropping air-bombers increase when model aircraft, drones, fly within or near restricted airspace that is intended for wild-fire fighting, according to the National Inter-agency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.  See whole story,  www.dailymail.co.uk.   
 

400 ft. 4,000 ft. 11,000 ft...One of Those is Right

       Newhall - A drone flying at approximately 11,000 feet required the loss of two hours of fire-fighting time, after the drone interfered with fire-fighting operations in Newhall, California.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) classifies drones as model aircraft, and-as-such, limits their flight altitude to 400 feet maximum.  See whole story, www.ktla.com.   

MOST SOUGHT AFTER SPORTS CAR

       Carmel - The 1962 Ferrari 250 GTO, known by connoisseurs as, 'chassis number 3851 GT', that sold in California in August 2014, set a new high for a classic car at $38 million.  The Ferrari 250 GTO beat the previous sale record of approximately $30 million, for a Mercedes W196.  The Ferrari 250 GTO is among the world's most rare and sought-after cars.  Only 39 Ferrari 250 GTOs were built.  See whole story, www.latimes.com.       

Robotic Soccer

        Pittsburgh - According to the Economist robots are coming on stronger.  Half a century is roughly the time that separates ENIAC, America's first electronic computer, from Deep Blue, the IBM machine that beat chess playing grandmaster Garry Kasparov in 1997.  Now, robots are beginning to do to European football (soccer) what IBM's Deep Blue did to the board game of chess. 
     RoboCup is a competition for robot soccer players, rather than flesh-and-blood ones.  This year RoboCup kicked off on July 19, 2014 in Joao Pessoa, Brazil.  A question that is on many minds is: when will real machines conquer the sport.  Robots do not require a salary and may reduce the annual costs of running a soccer team.  When the first RoboCup was held in 1997, those who launched it set a target of 2050 as the decade engineers would produce a humanoid robot that will rival the champions of that future teams era.  The plodding clumsiness of the RoboCup players is quickly improving.  For instance, self-driving cars and delivery drones, which seemed hopelessly futuristic a decade ago, are now products that businesses may purchase for use now, in 2014.  This years RoboCup had 150 teams.  However, the tournament includes features the organizers hope will accelerate innovation, without the incentive of cash.  For instance, the teams run on very low yearly budgets that are regulated by league rules.  The second rules is a clever combination of competition and co-operation.  Leading up to the playoffs, teams prepare new strategies and fine-tune their hardware and software secrets.  And, immediately after the finals have been played the teams must publish the methods they employed during the competition.  That fills in the gap for something another team might be weak at, and thus the level of learning how to make the robots play, is raised for the entire sport of robotic-soccer.  Thirdly, there are limits to how far teams can push their hardware.  This encourages machinists and engineers to develop smarter ways to win, rather than by using mere brute force.  Fourthly, RoboCup is comprised of several leagues.  These RoboCup leagues range from a little league of miniature cylinders on wheels, like the "Star Wars" character R2-D2, and in which league, the entire team is controlled by one computer using input from overhead cameras to a fully-limbed humanoid league, like R2-D2's companion C-3PO.  In the humanoid league, which is further divided into three sizes of robot - kid, teen, and adult - each android has its own independent on-board sensors and artificial intelligence software.  Also with software, for those robo-jocks who are better at software than hardware, their is a virtual league.  Competition in the virtual league focuses on improving the software needed to program the robots. That software will be used for the fast play style of robotic soccer.  The software will eventually be combined with the hardware - machinery of the robot - to make the robot.  While robots in the humanoid league are still lumbering and prone to error, the speed-and-accuracy of the smaller robots is stunning.  In the little league the robots mechanical accuracy is better, perhaps because they require less power.  Little league robots can kick a ball at speeds of up to 24 feet per second.  They could easily shoot harder were it not for hardware-control regulations that set a maximum speed.  Manuela Veloso helped found RoboCup and her group has won the most final's titles in the little league.  In 2009 Dr. Veloso and her colleagues decided to share with their competitors, the software that had led their team to a win-streak of RoboCups.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.           

Electronic Entertainment Expo 2015

      Hollywood - New hardware (3-D Printers, hand-held game-controllers, virtual reality machines, etc.) new video games, new versions of previously existing video games, new software, and more. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E-3) is an annual video game show and conference at the Los Angeles Convention Center.  This years show took place from June 16-18. 
     For 2015, there was more of what we want, some of the leading computer and video companies, business partners, media,and industry analysts from over 100 countries converged on the Los Angles Convention Center.  Among some of the extra features of E-3 were house-sized walk-through virtual reality exhibits and live-streamed interviews of experts, visionaries, and entrepreneurs from all walks of the computer  and video-game industry.  E-3 is owned and operated by entertainment software association (esa), which is dedicated to serving the needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles (machines that are distinct from coin-operated arcade machines or home computers, hand-held devices, personal computers, and the internet.  See also, www.e3expo.com.             

On The Down-Low Drone Racing

       Melbourne - Underground drone racing is really racing.  Underground drone racing is increasng in popularity in Australia.  Competitors build and prepare their drone-quadcopters for racing in abandoned warehouses, schoolyards, and neighborhoods. 
     In what has been called Game of Drones, the sport, of drone-flying, which has been done in neighborhoods, warehouses, and schoolyards across the country for decades, is being taken to a new level of intensity.  This new version pits drone against drone in fast-paced races.  Some drone clubs meet weekly to push their drones to the limit.  According to, NOWTHISNEWS, some of these drones hit speeds of 60-70 miles per hour (mph).  These drones are not autonomous (self-piloting).  These drones use the skills of the pilots to fly at higher speeds and avoid obstacles.  See whole story and video, www.aol.com.      

Navy F-35 Joint Strike Fighter -vs- Navy Robot Plane

     Maryland - A United States Navy (USN) spokesperson recently announced the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) may likely be the last strike-fighter flown by the USN.  A strike fighter is a primarily ground attack plane with some air-to-air capability. 
     Citing unmanned systems as a key element of needed innovation in a fast-changing global technological environment, Navy Secretary Ray Mabus says, he plans to start up a new Navy office for unmanned systems, and appoint a new Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Unmanned Systems.  The new office, called N-9, will seek to streamline various unmanned system efforts and technology.  See also, www.aviationweek.com.

Verizon Would Like to Purchase Aol

       Washington - Aol is one of the original online content providers.  Verizon Communications, Inc.  now views Aol Advertising, an Aol company, as a company Verizon can use for future television advertising.  Verizon Communications might pay $4.4 billion to buy Aol if the acquisition is allowed to be completed by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  Verizon wants to increase its personalized advertising on the over-the-top, online, and stand-alone video service Verizon plans to launch later this year.  Now, commercials seen on over-the-top services (OTT), which include Hulu, Sling TV, and HBO, are often repetitive and not well targeted, particularly when compared with other online venues such as Facebook Inc.      
      Verizon wants to use a specific technology Aol has.  That technology will allow real-time bidding of advertising space by advertisers as viewers tune in to OTT services. Basically, the same television show, seen at the same time, on Verizon's OTT service in two different homes, might have different commercial advertisements.  Advertisements that are only relevant to the viewers preferences.  The advertising industry views this way of putting the advertisements (commercials) of products that are based on what the individual website address normally searches for as a better way of buying and selling advertisements.  This, so-called "programmatic" buying is becoming the most effective way for online advertisements to be bought and sold.  See also,www.businessweek.com.                        

E-Drone Telephone Home

       New York  - Pilots of increasingly popular mini-copters (drones) have a tendency to crash into things like trees, houses, etc.  Drones require electronic (computerized) stabilization to remove some of what makes personal drones dangerous, or less safe. 
     Newer generation drones can do much of the flying themselves.  Applets (apps) can tell drones to take-off, follow flight plans, and land automatically, without human effort.  Drones require some practice to fly as a hobby and professional drone use is still in the future, but it is coming.  The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is considering rules that would require pilots of commercial drones to have a license, but that would not apply to consumers.  Some cities, and all United States national parks have banned drone flying, even recreational flight.  Piloting drones requires hours and hours of practice.  Autopilot drones can turn your smartphone into a joystick controller and can be told to fly to specific places.  Autopilot apps can also suggest manuevers, like having the drone circle a building while keeping its camera pointed at the building.  Without many hours of practice, that would be difficult to do using a traditional joystick controller.
     Some drones offer a feature known as 'Follow Me' mode.  When using Follow Me mode the drone tracks the location of your smartphone and will hover over you and your smartphone, wherever your smartphone is.  You select the altitude it follows you at.  Drones cannot sense and avoid objects and will crash into things that you have not programmed the drone to fly over.  Or, things that enter the drones flight path after the drone has launched and is on its way.  Follow Me mode still has some issues in the program that need to be improved.  Drones that leave the flight path you input are called rogues.  The phenomenon is known as 'fly-away'.  Smartphones transmit and receive with very low power.  If the GPS in the smartphone that is commanding the drone does not consistently track the location of the smartphone the drone can leave the flight path you put in.  When it leaves the flight path you input, the drone becomes vulnerable to crashing into objects it is not programmed to fly over.  Some drones have a feature that allows them to return home.  Return Home mode works, but flying in a crowded city is still very complicated. 
     Drones with Follow Me mode programmed into them are still expensive.  According to the WSJ, a good drone with Follow Me mode can cost as much as $2,900.  Some companies will not enable Follow Me mode until their drones can be programmed to avoid obstacles while flying on autopilot.  Drones that have autopilot take time to learn to pilot and drones that do not have autopilot take even more time to fly learn to fly.  See whole story, www.wsj.com.          

The Porsche 965 Did Exist... Almost

     Stuttgart - The street  version of the Porsche 959 debuted at the 1985 Frankfurt Motor Show as a 1986 model, but numerous issues delayed production by more than a year.  In 2004 Sports Car International named the 959 number one on its list of Top Sports Cars of the 1980s.  First customers received their Porsche 959s in 1987.  The car debuted at a cost of $225,00 USD per unit (with some models selling for as high as $1,000,000 USD per unit in 1992).
     The Porsche 964 Turbo was not a  model 965.  Porsche model 965 was a project in the 1980s  that was to have been sold as the  Porsche 969.  The Porsche 969 would have been a high-tech successor to the original Porsche 911 Turbo.  The  Porsche 964 Turbo (or 965) was deemed to complicated and expensive to manufacture, distribute, and sell.  The Porsche 964 was rushed out in its place in 1989.  Porsche introduced the Porsche 969 Turbo in March 1990, as the successor to the 930.  In 1992 the 3.3 litre Porsche Turbo S was introduced.  Porsche boasted the Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 in January 1993.  At the end of 1994 the Porsche factory had some 90 Porsche 969 chassis left, these were all transferred to Porsche Exclusive and built as the very special Porsche 964 Turbo S 3.6 litre.  The Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 was available with the traditional Porsche 964 Turbo 3.6 body or with the exclusive Slant nose option.  See whole story, www.total911.com.                            

Quadcopter Drones the Most Popular

      Tokyo - Most recent developments in the field of small autonomous drones seem to use quadcopters (four motors).  Most small drones don't look like regular helicopters because the quadcopter design is mechanically more simple for small drones.
     Small drones are less stable than an equivalent sized regular helicopter.  On a regular helicopter the main-rotor blades adjust their pitch as they spin.  The cyclic-pitch mechanism allows a regular helicopter to do this is complex and expensive.  Quadcopters use four motors connected to four fixed-pitch propellers.  This makes quadcopters  more simple and less expensive than an equivalent sized helicopter.  When helicopters are made larger it starts to make more sense, from a cost and complexity point of view, to have a single, more complex (variable-pitch)  propeller and one tail-rotor.  Quadcopters, and other small drones, require electronic stabilization for humans to fly them without constantly crashing.  For a quadcopter to remain stable in the air it must indivdually adjust the thrust produced by each of its propellers.  See also, www.aviationweek.com.                               

Top Houses of $100 Million

         Ft. Lauderdale - A Russian billionaire became the first person known to pay a price that was unheard of at the time.  $100 million for a single-family home in the United States is still extremely rare, but the numbers are increasing.  As of March 31, 2015, there are 10 properties in the United States at that price or higher.  Christie's International Real Estate recently reported, the $100 million price mark will be reached at least three times in 2015.  According to Christies International Real Estate those life at the top sales, are largely being created by forces outside of the housing market.  Factors like an increasing concentration of global wealth, the desire for a safe place to put capital, and the notoriety and bragging rights that come with owning one of the most expensive properties in the world.  See also, www.christies.com/services/real-estate.      

Shivering Timbers...Michigan, United States (Featuring Evanescence)

Unmanned Navy X-47B Lands On Aircraft Carrier

      Washington, D.C. - The X-47B is an unmanned combat air system carrier (UCAS) being developed by Northrop Grumman for the United States Navy (USN).  By the end of March 2015, the USN will have picked a winner from among the four defense contractors currently being asked to design a version of the aircraft, including DARPA /(Defense Advanced Research Agency), Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman.  In August 2014 the USN successfully tested its X-47B (UCAS) on an aircraft carrier flight deck. 
   Alongside a USN F/A-18F, the unmanned Northrop Grumman X-47B completed a series of tests, which included a catapult launch and an aircraft carrier landing.  This demonstrated the X-47B's ability to fly safely with manned aircraft.  After an eight-minute flight, the X-47B performed an aircraft carrier landing, folded its wings, and drove itself out of the landing area.  This proved the X-47B's ability to land and vacate the landing area in time for the next aircraft following closely behind it, in this case, the USN F/A-18F.  See full story, www.popularscience.com.   

Asia Region to Soon Receive HOOQ

     Singapore - Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Sony Pictures Television,  and Warner Bros. Entertainment have combined in a joint venture start-up ( two  or more companies starting a new business adventure).  HOOQ will offer over 10,000 Hollywood films and television programmes.  HOOQ will compete with Netflix in Asia.  By March 2015 HOOQ will also be offering movies and television programmes that were originally produced in Asia.  HOOQ will be streamed directly to a screen of ones choice.  HOOQ will be the largest online video service in the region.  HOOQ will be rolled out progressively in Singapore Telecommunication Ltd's. Asia region including, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, and Thailand.  See whole story, www.variety.com. 

Federal Aviation Administration Will Allow Some Film and Television Companies to Use Drones

        Washington, D.C. - The companies may not fly the drones at night, the companies may only use the drones on sets that closed to the public, and operators must inspect the aircraft before each flight.  The film and television industry seems comfortable and able to comply with the new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules.  Allowing motion picture companies to use drones shows the FAA is working to approve new uses of drones. 
     The FAA is still making proposed rules for integrating commercial drones into the national airspace.  In 2013, the United States government created six sites for testing broader commercial uses, in Alaska, Nevada, North Dakota Texas, and Virginia.  The drones must not weigh more than 55 pounds, they must be used within sight of the remote pilot (who must hold a private pilot's license), and they must be flown under 400 feet in altitude, among other restrictions.  The FAA currently bans most commercial drone flights, but is required by Congress to integrate drones into the United States airspace. 
     Drones have been used in other countries to film scenes in such movies as the James Bond film "Skyfall" and in the "Harry Potter" series of novels.  Drones that can carry cameras and other equipment make them useful for a wide range of uses, from inspecting oil pipelines to crop dusting to rescuing people lost in the wilderness.  Amazon has said it plans to use drones to make home deliveries.  See whole story, www.aviationweek.com.                               

YaYa DaCosta Making It Seem Real In 'Whitney'

      New York - YaYa DaCosta had to study work long hours to find what would be the essence of Whitney Houston's on stage performances.  To make Whitney Houston's concert performances seem real YaYa DaCosta studied hours and hours of Whitney Houston music videos.  When asked to single out one big discovery YaYa DaCosta got from watching the music videos, she said, she was surprised at how well Whitney Houston was as a dancer.  YaYa Dacosta says, I got to see videos of her performing on tour and she was full of energy and dance moves, she was doing a lot of the choreography (making up dance moves) right along with her back-up dancers.  See also, www.variety.com.   

No Flying Between Countries

      Washington, D.C. - SZ DJI Technology Company, Ltd. develops and manufactures unmanned aerial systems for recreation and business use. 
     Now, in response to a drone crash that happened on the White House lawn on Monday, January 26th, the Chinese drown manufacturer, says it will update its drones so that they will not be able to fly over much over Washington, D.C.  When downloaded the firmware (software that updates computerized devices) will prevent SZ DJI Technology Company, Ltd. drones from taking off within the restricted flight zones that cover much of Washington, D.C., company spokesman Michael Perry says.  Mr. Perry also says, SZ DJI Technology Company, Ltd. will update its firmware to disable drone flights across national borders.  The national border update will prevent SZ DJI Technology Company, Ltd. drones from flying from one country into another country.  SZ DJI Technology Company, Ltd. already prevents its drones from flying near most airports, in accordance with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations. 
     SZ DJI Technology Company, Ltd.'s planned update will prevent ANY flying inside the most restricted airspace above Washington, D.C., which has an approximately 15.5 mile radius.  The altitude of flights in a larger zone around Washington, D.C., outside of the 15.5 mile radius  will also be limited.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com.     

These Japanese Machines Are Not Human Yet

      Osaka - Four robots recently chatted with each other at a news conference full of microphones.  The robots seem to understand each other, but "Voice recognition has always been very difficult for robots," Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro of Osaka University says.  Ishiguro says, an often frustrating drawback for robots is trying to understand human speech.  Sota ('social talker' $850) and the more elaborate CommU (communications unity $4,300) are designed to mainly talk to a fellow robot.  To fully enjoy their features one would have to buy at least two of the robots, although people can buy just one. 
     Robot maker Vstone simplified Professor Ishiguro's research.  Vstone expects to sell 3,000 Sota robots in 2015, mostly to businesses that will use them to do such things as draw attention to, and verbally give information to customers about any product that can fit on a display shelf (Sota is only 11 inches tall). 
     Softbank will start selling Pepper, a humanoid (shape, appearance, and character of a human) it claims is programmed to read human emotions.  Pepper will go on sale in Japan in February 2015 for $1,700. 
     Robots are not human yet, but they can do more than vacuum the floor.  See also, www.popularmechanics.com. 
   

Underground and Online in Cuba

If It Weighs Less Than 55 Pounds It Soon May Be Delivered To You By Drone

      Washington, D.C. - Those high definition personal cameras often used in extreme-action video photography are just the beginning.  In the near future we may see everything from brooms to vacuum cleaners delivered by way of drone.  Its a matter of time before drone applications (apps) become normal, or at least commonplace to us.  The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) will be attempting to integrate drones into United States airspace, if they can safely do so away from commercial airline flights.  The FAA's next major step is expected later this year, when the agency says it will publish rules and requirements for drones weighing less than 55 pounds. 
     Drone flights are controlled automatically by on-board computers or by the remote control of a pilot on the ground.  Historically, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) were simply remotely piloted aircraft (RPA).  Now, autonomous (independent with the ability to make its own decisions) control is becoming more popular. 
     The concept of a UAV dates back to the mid-1800s when Austrians ( a country next door to Germany) sent unmanned bomb-filled balloons to attack Venice, Italy.  The UAVs we see today started innovation in the early 1900s and were originally used for target practice to train military personnel.  One of the best known and widely used drones (called drone for the bee-like buzzing sound the engine made) was the 1940s Nazi-German V-1 that flew autonomously by jet power.  The V-1's successor was the V-2.  The V-2 was rocket powered and could travel substantial more distance than the V-1.  See also, www.aviationweek.com. 
                  

Companies Provide Online Automobile Insuurance Quotes