Monthly Archives: September 2024

Yamaha’s concept for an outdoor heater gives off a flaming hot look

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I live in a tropical country so the need for outdoor (or even indoor) heaters is practically non-existent. But when I first experienced how cold it is outside when I traveled to places that have winter, I understood how important it was to have something to warm you up especially when you’re doing outdoor activities. Most of what I’ve seen are not necessarily aesthetic so there’s always room for well-designed heaters.

Designer: Yamaha Design Laboratory

Yamaha has been experimenting a lot lately with designs for various products that are not necessarily connected to Yamaha Motor or their other businesses. This includes creating design concepts for outdoor tools and one of those projects is for something called Bon-Flame, an outdoor heater attachment tool that combines the brand’s expertise in both mobility and their main product of musical instruments.

Basically this heater uses a bimetallic sheet that is made up of two metals that are glued together. The different metals have varying expansion rates so the sheet is able to change shape when heat is applied. There’s a small ball-shaped bimetal at the base which rotates when heated and then eventually opens up like a flower. The ending look is that of a large flame shape that gives you a pretty looking heater.

The concept also converts the flame of a single burner into far-infrared heat which is better for the environment as it has a lower carbon footprint. It’s still a design concept for now but it would be a great companion for outdoor activities especially if you’re going for an aesthetic look.

The post Yamaha’s concept for an outdoor heater gives off a flaming hot look first appeared on Yanko Design.

Five features that caught our eye from today’s YouTube livestream

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YouTube’s creator-focused broadcast, Made On YouTube, is here again, and there's plenty to talk about. From more AI integration to Communities, YouTube seems to be gearing up to compete against rivals like TikTok and Netflix. Here are five things that genuinely interested us among the deluge of updates and new features.

YouTube is introducing the Hype system, which lets viewers “go beyond” liking and sharing a video. The idea is to allow fans to give more visibility to smaller creators — so hyping is only allowed for videos from creators under 500,000 subscribers, and only on videos under a week old. Content with the most hype will end up on a new leaderboard of the 100 most hyped videos in their country. Fans can only hype three times in a week for now, though additional uses will eventually be purchasable in the future.

YouTube Shorts creators will be able to employ Google DeepMind’s Veo video generator model later this year. Veo can generate six-second clips after reading a prompt, and all creations will have a label showing that generative AI was used, along with SynthID watermarking. Veo integration will exist parallel to (but doesn't replace) YouTube’s Dream Screen — another AI video generation tool — which was introduced last year.

The Community tab is getting a revamp, slated to come out in early 2025. Currently, only the channel owner can post in the Community tab, but the new experience will allow subscribers to create posts, with a tab to view only creator posts if necessary. Of course, subscribers can post images to prompt conversation. Some creators interact with their viewers currently through other platforms (like Discord) and this seems to be an attempt to create an in-house alternative.

Some of us lament being unable to understand creators using languages we don’t speak, but YouTube intends to fix that by implementing auto-dubbing. With the help of AI, viewers can now listen to machine-translated audio in their preferred language. YouTube promises that the audio will sound natural, taking intonation into account along with the creator’s surroundings.

Finally, the YouTube TV app will have an update mirroring Netflix’s current layout. Creators will be able to organize their content in seasons and episodes, and there will be previews before users play any content. According to The Hollywood Reporter, we can expect to see these new features starting next year, though no concrete date was announced.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/youtube/five-features-that-caught-our-eye-from-todays-youtube-livestream-171537530.html?src=rss

Bong Joon Ho’s Mickey17 trailer is even crazier than the book

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The film adaptation of the immensely popular sci-fi novel Mickey7 has been in the works for years, but now we finally have a trailer and it’s filled with surprises. For one thing, it’s now called Mickey17 and, well, fans of the book know exactly what that implies. It means they’re in for an even crazier experience than what’s written on the page.

The movie is written and directed by one of the modern masters, Bong Joon Ho, who seems to have taken some liberties with the source material. Light spoilers, but the book follows a series of clones of the titular Mickey as they perform the grunt work of colonizing an exoplanet. The book chronicles seven (ish) Mickey variants, but the movie is amping this up to at least 17. This will give us plenty more darkly hilarious clone deaths, which the trailer shows quite a lot of.

The novel is right up Bong Joon Ho’s alley. Clones are basically second-class citizens who exist to die for their corporate overlords. This leaves plenty of room for social satire in the vein of both Snowpiercer and Parasite. The trailer leans into this stuff and the results look truly entertaining and, believe it or not, really funny. We love to see unique IPs in the cinema, don’t we folks?

The various Mickeys are played by Robert Pattinson, so that’ll get some butts in the seats. The cast also includes Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Toni Collette and Mark Ruffalo. As a book reader, I know who everyone is playing except for Ruffalo. That looks like a brand-new character, though he could be an amalgamation of a couple of minor players. Adaptations require some dark alchemy at times.

This could be the first big hit of 2025. It arrives in theaters on January 31. There’s also some franchise potential here, as the book already has one sequel and author Edward Ashton has been toying with ideas for a third entry.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/tv-movies/bong-joon-hos-mickey17-trailer-is-even-crazier-than-the-book-170004844.html?src=rss

The Dead by Deadlight co-op shooter spinoff has been officially canceled

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Update, September 18, 7PM ET: As first reported by Game Developer, Behaviour Interactive not only canceled Project T, it also closed Midwinter Entertainment, the studio which was working on the game. In a statement, the Canadian developer said "This sad news in no way reflects the talent of the team, who put a lot of energy into Project T. All the employees were offered to relocate to our Canadian studios, as we strongly believe in their expertise. Should they decide not to accept, they will be presented with a generous severance package. We want to thank them for all their hard work on Project T and wish them the very best for the future." Midwinter Entertainment was founded as an independent studio in 2016 before being acquired in 2022. 

The original story follows:

Earlier this year, Behaviour Interactive teased a few Dead by Deadlight spinoff games. One has since been released to relative acclaim, The Casting of Frank Stone, and What the Fog kinda came and went. That leaves one game unaccounted for. Today, we can scratch that one out for good. The company just announced that the spinoff known only as Project T has been canceled.

Project T was advertised as a third-person co-op shooter, making it one of the rare times in the franchise players would be able to fight back against enemies using guns. The game has been around in beta form for a while, as part of Behavior Interactive’s insider program. It looks like those early playtests didn’t go so well. The company said that “a number of players expressed satisfaction” but that the “outcome of this deep analysis yielded unsatisfactory overall results.”

This doesn’t mean anything for the larger franchise. The developer has leaned into experimental projects lately and it looks like Project T just didn’t make the cut. It’s unfortunate, but there’s still the mainline game and it’s many, many crossovers.

There’s also the aforementioned The Casting of Frank Stone, which is a narrative driven title by Supermassive set in the same universe. Finally, What the Fog is something of a Jumanji-like spin on the OG game. Kids get sucked into a board game. You know the drill.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/the-dead-by-deadlight-co-op-shooter-spinoff-has-been-officially-canceled-154312867.html?src=rss

MrBeast and Amazon are being sued by contestants of their planned competition show

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A lawsuit on behalf of five unnamed contestants who participated in YouTuber MrBeast’s Beast Games was filed on September 16 in Los Angeles against MrBeast as well as Amazon, which plans to distribute the show. It’s also seeking class-action status.

Beast Games is the brainchild of Jimmy Donaldson, also known as MrBeast. This game show had participants go through challenges for a shot at $5 million in cash. There would only be one winner out of 1,000 participants, so the money would only go to the last person standing.

When the five contestants participated in the game show, they each wanted to win the money, but nothing prepared them for the poor conditions, mistreatment and harassment they experienced. Among the 14 complaints are failure to pay minimum wages, sexual harassment, false advertising and failure to provide uninterrupted meal and rest breaks.

The plaintiffs filed this lawsuit on behalf of all Beast Games contestants besides themselves. Much of the lawsuit’s content is hidden, including the contestants’ names and the exact details of their mistreatment. Of note were the female contestants’ experiences. The lawyers claimed that the work environment there “fostered a culture of misogyny and sexism where Production Staff did nothing.”

The contestants were considered employees under California law, but MrBeast and Amazon allegedly misclassified them to obtain a tax credit of around $2 million. They also arrived on set to discover that instead of 1,000 total competitors, there were far more people playing for the prize, thus lowering everyone's chances of coming out a winner. According to the New York Times, the total number of contestants was about 2,000, something MrBeast said was the plan all along. The plaintiffs claimed this significantly reduced anyone’s chances of winning and was considered false advertising. Even worse, the show organizers did not grant them meal and rest breaks as required by California law. According to the lawsuit, some of the show participants developed injuries that “continue to persist and will persist from the future.”

This isn’t the first time MrBeast has been involved in a lawsuit. Last year, he sued Virtual Dining Concepts (VDC) for making subpar MrBeast Burgers, ruining his reputation. VDC countersued MrBeast, seeking $100 million in damages.

According to a report from Variety, MrBeast and Amazon have yet to comment on the lawsuit, with the former refusing to. Beast Games, slated for an Amazon Prime Video release, still has no announced release date.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/streaming/mrbeast-and-amazon-are-being-sued-by-contestants-of-their-planned-competition-show-152613641.html?src=rss

Life360 launches the smallest Tile Bluetooth Tracker and its longest-range option

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Bluetooth trackers save us the drama of lost and stolen stuff. This notion is the mainstay of Life360 – which after its acquisition by AirTag competitor Tile – has for the first time announced a consortium of Tile Bluetooth trackers. These come with a range of new features including longer track range, SOS button, and a louder alert sound.

Life360 has designed the Tile Bluetooth trackers to help families keep track of their everyday items and valuable belongings using its dedicated app, comprehensive ecosystem, and enhanced location sharing capabilities. Put the ring on your things, pets, or even people (who may need it) and sheet them in an extra layer of security that the entire family unit can have access to right on their smartphone.

Designer: Life360

The main highlight of the Life360 Tile Bluetooth trackers is a multifunction button on them that on the push sends an SOS alert in emergency situations. In addition to this, the new Tile Bluetooth trackers offer enhanced integration with the Life360 app, which allows the users to bring everything and everyone in their family circle in one place, the Life360 Map. This is possible by linking the Tile account and Life360 and the entire circle sees your Tiles and finds lost, misplaced items quickly and effortlessly. The dedicated app is compatible with both Android and Apple ecosystems.

The SOS button on the Tile tracker, when pressed three times, triggers a Life360 SOS alert. When this happens, a notification is sent out with the user’s location to the designated emergency contacts. Even though many add-on features are subscription only, ‘SOS alerts are free for all Life360 users.’ The new Tile lineup features four new models that are sleeker in design, and arrive in as many new colors: green, pink, aqua blue, and navy blue.

The four models comprise Tile Mate, Tile Pro, Tile Slim and Tile Stricker. With a built-in keyring, the Tile Mate comes for $24.99 and is ideal for keeping track of keys, backpacks, lunchboxes and purses. The Tile Slim, as the name implies is the slimmest of the four trackers. At $29.99 it is apt for slipping into wallets, passport holders, and luggage. $24.99 Tile Sticker is the smallest Bluetooth tracker on the market and the Title Pro with its sticker price of $34.99 is the most powerful. It has the loudest ring and longest range in the Tile trackers, and can keep track of all kinds of items you may choose. Tile Mate, Slim, and Sticker trackers are now available, while the Tile Pro will be available starting in October.

The post Life360 launches the smallest Tile Bluetooth Tracker and its longest-range option first appeared on Yanko Design.

Lionsgate signs a deal with the devil (an AI startup)

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Remember when the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and SAG-AFTRA went on strike for months, in great part to get protections against AI? Well, while they did get some stipulations in there, it's not stopping AI from coming to Hollywood anyways. Lionsgate, the studio behind the John Wick and Hunger Games franchises, has struck a deal with AI startup Runway, the Wall Street Journal first reported and Runway confirmed in a press release. The arrangement will allow Runway access to Lionsgate's content library in exchange for a fresh, custom AI model that the studio can use in production and editing.

The deal is similar to recent (and equally icky feeling) ones with publishing houses such as TIME and Dotdash Meredith, but it is the first of its kind for the film and TV industry. Vice chairman of Lionsgate Studio, Michael Burns, said that in recent months, he feared falling behind competitors without a step like this. "Runway is a visionary, best-in-class partner who will help us utilize AI to develop cutting edge, capital efficient content creation opportunities," Burns stated. He then claimed, "Several of our filmmakers are already excited about its potential applications to their pre-production and post-production process."

There's also the small matter that he expects the company will save "millions and millions of dollars" through this agreement. Whether that money will come out of creatives' paychecks is something we can only speculate about now, but it wouldn't be surprising.

As for Lionsgate's new bedfellow, like many AI companies, Runway has faced accusations of pilfering content to train its system. A former employee came forward in July with alleged internal spreadsheets demonstrating that Runway used YouTube videos from the likes of Disney, Netflix and popular media outlets to train its Gen-3 model. A group of artists are also suing Runway and other players like Stability AI for copyright infringement, reports Artnet. The plaintiffs garnered a win in August, with California District Judge William Orrick finding they had reasonably argued these companies had violated the artists' rights.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/lionsgate-signs-a-deal-with-the-devil-an-ai-startup-151046341.html?src=rss

Substack, a newsletter service, is now also a live video company

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Substack is adding a live video component to its newsletter service. In its announcement post, the company positioned this feature as providing real-time audience engagement for creators. At launch, the feature will only be available to people with Substack's Bestsellers badges, but the company said it plans to roll it out to all users in the coming months.

Creators can begin live videos within the Substack app. As with written material on the platform, a creator can set whether the audience for a live video is everyone, all subscribers or paid subscribers. Any channel subscribers will be notified when a live video begins. There's also an option for collaboration, inviting other Substack members into the live broadcast. For now, only iOS users can issue invitations; Android users can accept an invite for now, and are slated to receive access to the full feature "soon." After a live broadcast finishes, a recording will be saved in post drafts so the video can be used in a future newsletter. There's also a clipping tool for light video editing tasks.

Substack has been making a push to bring video content creators to its platform from TikTok, which doesn't seem like an obvious competitor to the company's existing offerings or an obvious match for the community it has cultivated. Emails are asynchronous communication that can be read whenever it's convenient, the polar opposite of must-watch-now live videos. The option to include recordings in newsletters is useful, but adopting the live viewing as a regular part of their Substack routine may be a big ask for current users. In short: there's no guarantee that the new feature will function well, or that most newsletter creators and readers are interested in engaging with video content.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/substack-a-newsletter-service-is-now-also-a-live-video-company-150004585.html?src=rss

FryMist concept combines air frying and steaming into one device

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I’ve been trying for years to eat healthier due to various health conditions that have come up. I’m not much of a cook and the only things I can do right now are fry things. But of course it’s not the healthiest way so having an air fryer would be ideal. Another way would be to steam things but there are times when frying, or at least air frying, is better.

Designer: Duygu Yildiz

A designer said, why not have both? FryMist is a concept for a cooking device that puts an air fryer and a steamer into just one device to save space in your kitchen. It’s not really combining the two processes but integrating them into just one device. This way you are able to get low-fat cooking and healthier dishes while also not giving you harmful chemicals from high heat.

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The steamer part has a water boiling container and a grill since you of course need water to be able to steam your veggies or fish or whatever else you can steam. The air fryer part has the container and the air fry grill. The air fryer and steamer also has separate screens so you won’t get confused as to the controls and the displays.

This would be an ideal cooking device for people who like me who don’t have much time to cook actual dishes. If this is made into an actual product, I would probably be first in line to get one.

The post FryMist concept combines air frying and steaming into one device first appeared on Yanko Design.