Beauty and the Beast is a tale for the ages. Maybe the most memorable version of this classic was the iconic 1991 Disney animation. Now, Disney is reviving its animated version rendition with live action heroes, making this Disney’s latest live action fairytale production, but by no means its last. VOA’s Penelope Poulou has more.
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What’s the largest organ in the human body? It’s skin, of course. Ask any doctor about its role in protecting what’s inside us from all kinds of trouble. That’s why it’s such a big deal that university scientists in Spain have learned how to manufacture what they say is fully functional human skin with a 3-D printer. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
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What’s the largest organ in the human body? It’s skin, of course. Ask any doctor about its role in protecting what’s inside us from all kinds of trouble. That’s why it’s such a big deal that university scientists in Spain have learned how to manufacture what they say is fully functional human skin with a 3D printer. VOA’s Kevin Enochs reports.
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Carmakers and suppliers gave widely differing timelines Thursday for the introduction of self-driving vehicles, showing the uncertainties surrounding the technology as well as a split between cautious established players and bullish new entrants.
Chipmaker Nvidia, facing direct competition with the world’s top chipmaker after Intel’s $15 billion deal to buy Mobileye, an autonomous driving technology firm, this week, gave the most optimistic predictions.
Chief Executive Jens-Hsun Huang said carmakers may speed up their plans in the light of technological advances and that fully self-driving cars could be on the road by 2025.
“Because of deep learning, because of AI [artificial intelligence] computing, we’ve really supercharged our roadmap to autonomous vehicles,” he said in a keynote speech to the Bosch Connected World conference in Berlin.
Germany’s Bosch, however, the world’s biggest automotive supplier, gave a timetable as much as six years longer to get to the final stage before fully autonomous vehicles, and declined even to forecast when a totally self-driving car might take to the streets.
Technology, liability among hurdles
Progress is fraught by issues including who is liable when a self-driving car has an accident, bringing down the costs of sensor technology and guarding against hacking.
“Of course, we still have to prove that an autonomous car does better in driving and has less accidents than a human being,” Bosch CEO Volkmar Denner told a news conference.
Nvidia has applied its market-leading expertise in high-end computer graphics to the intense visualization and simulation needs of autonomous cars, and has been working on artificial intelligence — teaching computers to learn to write their own software code — for a decade.
“No human could write enough code to capture the vast diversity and complexity that we do so easily, called driving,” Huang said.
Together with Bosch executives, Huang presented a prototype AI on-board computer that is expected to go into production by the beginning of the next decade. The computer will use Nvidia’s processing power to interpret data gathered by Bosch sensors.
Degrees of autonomy
On the way to fully self-driving cars, levels of autonomy have been defined, with most cars on the road today at level two, and Tesla ready to switch from level four to five — full autonomy — as soon as it is permitted.
Level three means drivers can turn away in well-understood environments, such as highway driving, but must be ready to take back control, while level four means the automated system can control the vehicle in most environments.
Independent technology analyst Richard Windsor wrote this week that he doubted automakers would have autonomous vehicles leaving factories by a typical self-imposed deadline of 2020, mainly because the liability issue was unresolved.
“This is good news for the automotive industry, which is notoriously slow to adapt to and implement new technology as it will have more time to defend its position against the new entrants,” he wrote.
But Nvidia’s Huang said he expected to have chips available for level three automated driving by the end of this year and in customers’ cars on the road by the end of 2018, with level four chips following the same pattern a year later.
That is at least a year ahead of the plans of most carmakers that have an autonomous-driving strategy.
BMW says market will decide
The head of autonomous driving at BMW told the conference the luxury carmaker was on its way to deliver a level three autonomous car in 2021, but could produce level four or five autonomous cars in the same year.
“We believe we have the chance to make level three, level four and level five doable,” he said. He told Reuters the decision on which levels to release would depend in part on the market, and that cars with more autonomy might first be produced in small batches for single fleets.
Bosch said it saw level three vehicles being released with its on-board computer at the end of the decade, and level four driving not before 2025.
Uber, Baidu and Google spin-off Waymo are testing self-driving taxis, while carmakers including Volvo, Audi and Ford expect to have level four cars on the road by 2020 or 2021.
Nvidia’s Huang predicted those plans would speed up: “In the near future, you’re going to see these schedules pull in.”
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When Dan Stevens met his “Beauty and the Beast” co-star Emma Watson in pre-production, she wanted to get to work analyzing the story and the themes. He just wanted to talk about her U.N. speech about gender inequality.
“It was so impressive and so mighty in its message. I was so blown away by it,” Stevens said recently.
He quickly realized that her ideas actually did apply to the film too. Between the spoiled Beast, the sleazy Gaston, the gracious Maurice and others, Stevens began to think about just how many different types of masculinity are on display in the film, which opens in theaters Friday.
“Looking at these little elements of the patriarchy that she can smash through on her quest through the movie and the challenges presented to her as a girl, they tally so beautifully with Emma’s project,” Stevens said. “I love storytelling and fairy tale and myth and getting to grips with those fundamental elements is something that I really get a kick out of.”
At 34, Stevens is perhaps still best known for his role as Matthew Crawley on the PBS period series “Downton Abbey,” which he somewhat infamously left five years ago to pursue other things stateside. In the interim, the English actor has found roles in edgy indies, like the home invasion thriller “The Guest,” and even in campier family fare like “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” as the overconfident Lancelot.
Now Stevens is on the verge of becoming a household name with a leading role on FX’s edgy comic book series “Legion” and, of course, “Beauty and the Beast” – by far his highest profile role since “Downton.” Ironically it’s also one where his face is largely hidden for most of the film.
“It’s still my face driving it,” Stevens said, insisting that his friends and family have said they can definitely tell its him behind the facial capture technology that turns the blonde-hair blue-eyed human male into a horned and hairy beast.
Besides, it allowed him to focus on the performance in the eyes – something he studied in Jean Marais’ performance in Jean Cocteau’s 1946 version of “”Beauty and the Beast” to prepare.
“It was very important to me to preserve the beast’s soul through the eyes,” Stevens said. “It’s kind of the last human quality that he has shining through.”
As a father to three children with wife and singer Susie Hariet – Willow (7), Aubrey (4), and Eden (10 months) – Stevens has an added interest in balancing hard R-rated genre work with more family-friendly fare.
“I almost certainly would have said yes to this whether I had kids or not, but it is a big factor and informs some of my choices for sure these days,” the actor said.
He would often bring his kids to the “Beauty and the Beast” set to see him in action.
“I love it when crew members or other cast members bring their kids on,” he said. “It helps you remember why you’re making it and who you’re making it for.”
It also made for some amusing observations from his children. Stevens’ costume consisted of stilts and a cumbersome grey muscle suit that the visual effects people would eventually use to morph him into the Beast in post-production.
“My daughter said I looked like a hippo,” he said. “It helped with that Beast feeling of feeling monstrous and like he didn’t fit in.”
With four other projects in various stages of post-production, from a role in a historical drama about Thurgood Marshall to the rom-com “Permission” and “Legion’s” renewal for a second season, Stevens is doing what he’s always wanted.
“I’m having a great time just exploring a number of different areas that I never dreamed I’d get to explore,” Stevens said. “And, hopefully, slipping into some quite unrecognizable roles.”
The Beast isn’t a bad start.
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Chinese conceptual artist and political activist Ai Weiwei has placed his latest refugee-themed installation — a black rubber boat with 258 figures onboard — in Prague, the capital of a European Union country that has opposed the bloc’s efforts to redistribute migrants among member nations.
The giant piece, titled “Law of the Journey,” attests to Ai’s concern with the plight of migrants who embark on the dangerous journey to Europe by sea. He visited 20 refugee sites across the world, including the Greek island of Lesbos, an entry point for many migrants trying to reach western Europe from Turkey.
“To refuse somebody so desperate is almost a crime,” Ai told The Associated Press. “It’s immoral, it’s short-sighted, and it is not going to benefit this nation. We cannot lose our fundamental beliefs in human rights and human dignity.”
His largest piece so far, the 70-meter (230-foot)-long black rubber boat hangs from the ceiling at the National Gallery’s Trade Fair Palace. The site-specific installation that went on exhibit Thursday was made in a Chinese factory that produces dinghies used by actual refugees, Ai said.
The 59-year-old artist has exhibited similar works elsewhere. He used 14,000 discarded life vests collected from the beaches of Lesbos to wrap the columns of Berlin’s Konzerthaus and to create lotus blossoms floating on a pond in Vienna’s Belvedere park.
The artist also posed as Alan Kurdi, a Syrian toddler whose lifeless body was famously photographed lying face-down on a Lesbos pebble beach. Ai was criticized for exploiting the child’s tragic death.
More than 1.2 million people have crossed the Mediterranean to Europe since 2015, data from the International Organization for Migration show. According to the European Commission, the Czech Republic has so far accepted 12 migrants for relocation.
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Demi Lovato is celebrating five years of sobriety.
The 24-year-old singer celebrated with an Instagram post on Wednesday. She writes that “it’s been quite the journey,” adding, “so many times I wanted to relapse but sat on my hands and begged God to relieve the obsession.”
Lovato’s personal struggles have been well-documented. In 2010, she left a tour with the Jonas Brothers and entered rehab for an eating disorder and self-mutilation. She has also said that she used drugs and alcohol to self -medicate.
Lovato says she has bipolar disorder and has been an advocate for mental health awareness.
Each year, aspiring tech entrepreneurs from all over the world head to the South by Southwest (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, to prove their worth. VOA reporter Tina Trinh met with the latest wave of tech disrupters to learn what it takes to stand apart from the competition.
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Britain’s Prince William is taking flak for going on a ski holiday instead of attending a major royal engagement with his family.
Criticism mounted after footage emerged of 34-year-old William busting late-night dance moves in the Verbier, Switzerland, this week.
It has fueled claims from the tabloid press that the second in line to the throne does not work hard enough. The tabloid Sun used the headline “Throne Idle.”
William was skiing while his 90-year-old grandmother Queen Elizabeth II and other senior royals attended a Commonwealth Day service in London on Monday.
An official record of royal engagements says William has carried out royal duties on 13 days this year, compared with 18 for Prince Harry and 24 for the queen.
William also works part-time as an air ambulance pilot.
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Expanding ties between China and the United States form the backdrop of Lisa See’s latest novel, The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane, a book about China’s growing prosperity, cross-cultural adoption and, the author says, the enduring bond between mothers and daughters.
See chronicled the Chinese experience in California in a 1995 book, On Gold Mountain, and she says the West Coast state remains a cultural crossroads. It is also the source of ideas for fictional stories like that in her new novel.
“My husband and I were walking to the movies,” See said, “and we saw ahead of us an older white couple with their teenaged Chinese adopted daughter walking between them.”
The image of a carefree family, with the daughter’s long pony tail swaying back and forth, would lead to a tale of inter-cultural adoption amid growing commercial ties between the United States and China.
See is the author of such best-selling novels as Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Shanghai Girls.
Precise research
Her books are all based on on-the-ground research. A tea-tasting demonstration in the United States would inspire her to visit Yunnan Province, China, a tea-growing region near the Burmese border, which also led to the writing of this novel.
“They have more varieties of plant life in that one province of China than all together in the rest of the northern hemisphere,” she said. “They have more species of animals in that one province of China, which is only 4 percent of China’s overall land mass.”
The biodiversity also applies to human beings: Yunnan is home of half of China’s 55 ethnic minorities, and includes a tea-growing hill tribe called the Akha. See met an Akha family whose daughter collected stories from village elders, and the writer was fascinated.
“She just told us these unbelievable stories about her family, about the neighbors, about her own experience,” See said. By the end of one day, she knew that she wanted to write about the Akha.
Not ‘precious enough’
See’s novel concerns an Akha woman named Li-yan who gives birth to a daughter out of wedlock. Defying a local custom that calls for the child’s death, she takes the infant to an orphanage, and the girl, renamed Haley, is adopted and raised by an American family. Over time, Haley questions her identity, as do the real-life adoptees that See met in her research.
“There was one girl who summed it up for me when she said, ‘I know I’m lucky and I know my parents love me and I know I’m the most precious person in our family, but I wasn’t precious enough for my birth parents to keep.’”
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane explores this tension as the story unfolds in both America and China, where Haley’s birth mother rides a wave of prosperity when Chinese products, including a rare local tea, find a worldwide market.
The separate paths of mother and daughter bring both to Los Angeles, where See says she is inspired in her writing by her own family connections and her partial Chinese background.
“I have red hair and freckles,” she said, “but I actually grew up in a very large Chinese American family here in Los Angeles. I have about 400 relatives here,” she said, “about a dozen that look like me. The majority are still full Chinese.”
See’s books tell the stories of Chinese and Chinese Americans, and her fiction focuses on women. The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane follows these themes as it looks at changes that prosperity has brought to one ethnic community in China.
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Under the Trump administration, there will likely be challenges for the U.S. tech industry when it comes to attracting foreign talent.
But it’s never been a better time to start a company, said Dave McClure, a prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist.
“The general trend for start-ups under Trump or anyone else is still fantastic,” according to McClure, who was interviewed on stage this week at South by Southwest, the tech, music, gaming and film conference and festival in Austin, Texas.
McClure is a founding partner of 500 Startups, a global venture capital seed fund firm. Since its inception in 2010, the firm has invested in more than 1,500 technology companies in more than 60 countries.
It also takes investors, start-up founders and Silicon Valley executives on several tours each year – dubbed “Geeks on a Plane” – to burgeoning high-growth technology markets. Its next trip will be later this month to four cities in Africa — Lagos, Nigeria; Accra, Ghana; Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.
Some aspects of 500 Startups’ work have become more uncertain since President Donald Trump took office, such as whether the firm can bring foreign entrepreneurs to the United States, as it does for its four-month seed program, McClure said. The United States is “shooting ourselves in the head by limiting immigration,” he said.
But when McClure looks out across the world, he sees entrepreneurship as a global phenomenon not relegated just to U.S. tech industry hubs or even hot spots such as China and Western Europe.
One sign of whether a region has the potential to take off is whether there are large investors beyond those offering an entrepreneur initial funding. Another sign is whether there have been successful “exits,” which can be when a company is bought by a larger firm or has a successful public offering.
Some countries might tout their number of entrepreneurs or point to high tech industrial parks as signs of a growing innovation ecosystem. But McClure looks at another measurement – the number of venture capitalists per capita. The United States and China have the most venture capitalist per capita, he said, whereas countries such as Brazil and Mexico have just a handful.
But as the U.S. government helped plant the seeds of Silicon Valley, foreign governments can step in and help a region’s start-up culture take root, he said.“Get that cycle going,” he said. “And that’s what gets the cycle going in other parts of the world.”
As for people interested in investing globally, by all means, write the checks, he said. The key is patience.
“If you are going to do international investing, you have to do it for the long haul,” McClure said. “You need to wait three to five years before it takes off.”
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A North Korean hacking group known as Lazarus was likely behind a recent cyber campaign targeting organizations in 31 countries, following high-profile attacks on Bangladesh Bank, Sony and South Korea, cybersecurity firm Symantec Corp said Wednesday.
Symantec said in a blog that researchers have uncovered four pieces of digital evidence suggesting the Lazarus group was behind the campaign that sought to infect victims with “loader” software used to stage attacks by installing other malicious programs.
“We are reasonably certain” Lazarus was responsible, Symantec researcher Eric Chien said in an interview.
North Korea denies involvement
The North Korean government has denied allegations it was involved in the hacks, which were made by officials in Washington and Seoul, as well as security firms. U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation representatives could not immediately be reached for comment.
Symantec did not identify targeted organizations and said it did not know if any money had been stolen. Nonetheless, Symantec said the claim was significant because the group used a more sophisticated targeting approach than in previous campaigns.
“This represents a significant escalation of the threat,” said Dan Guido, chief executive of Trail of Bits, which does consulting to banks and the U.S. government.
History of hacks
Lazarus has been blamed for a string of hacks dating back to at least 2009, including last year’s $81 million heist from Bangladesh’s central bank, the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment that crippled its network for weeks and a long-running campaign against organizations in South Korea.
Guido, who reviewed Symantec’s finding, said that it was troubling to see a hacking group focus on attacking banks using increasingly sophisticated techniques.
“This is a dangerous development,” he said.
Symantec, which has one of the world’s largest teams of malware researchers, regularly analyzes emerging cyberthreats to help defend businesses, governments and consumers that use its security products.
Latest attacks surfaced in Poland
The firm analyzed the hacking campaign last month when news surfaced that Polish banks had been infected with malware. At the time, Symantec said it had weak evidence to blame Lazarus.
Reuters has been unable to ascertain what happened in that attack. Poland’s biggest bank lobbying group, ZBP, in February said the sector was targeted in a cyberattack but did not provide further details. Government authorities declined comment on the incident.
Authorities in Poland could not be reached for comment late Wednesday.
Symantec said the latest campaign was launched by infecting websites that intended victims were likely to visit, which is known as a “watering hole” attack.
The malware was programmed to only infect visitors whose IP address showed they were from 104 specific organizations in 31 countries, according to Symantec. The largest number were in Poland, followed by the United States, Mexico, Brazil and Chile.
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Malawi’s football governing body, the Football Association of Malawi, or FAM, says it is pulling out of the 2018 African Nations Championship, as well as the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations because of lack of funds.
The announcement this week came after the Malawi government turned down FAM’s request to employ a foreign coach and provide funds for the national football team to prepare for the two international competitions.
The Malawi government rejected the football governing body’s proposals soon after parliament’s midterm budget review cited a reduced allocation to the Ministry of Sports, from $3 million to $1 million.
“They are looking for the government to sponsor the hiring of an expatriate coach who will be costing the government $14,000 every month for the next three years,” Henry Mussa, the Minister of Sports, told VOA. “So we simply said, ‘No, currently let’s continue with our professional local coaches we do have.'”
But FAM officials said in a statement they expected the expatriate coach to drill the current crop of players to international levels for a better team performance. They also said the expatriate coach would mentor local coaches so that they can take over the team at the end of his contract.
Charles Nyirenda, a sports analyst and former General Secretary of Football Association of Malawi, told VOA that foreign coaches have never changed anything about Malawi’s football.
“We have had several foreign coaches here who have flopped,” he said. “Malawi’s best-ever results at continental level were a bronze medal in All African Games in 1987. At that time, it was Mathews Mwenda [a local coach] who got us to that level and we have never performed that good ever since.”
Malawi would face a fine from the Confederation of African Football for withdrawing from the continental games, according to Nyirenda.
“You can’t come in, and then go out,” he said. “They fine you and also they put a period of two to three years’ suspension, which is the lost time in terms of the development of the game. And the rest of the world will laugh at us.”
Local freelance sports journalist Patrick Lunda disagreed, saying withdrawal was the only way for FAM to make government authorities listen.
“It’s a good move because these competitions are very costly and involving,” he said. “They need to travel, they need allowances, preparations; if they are not sure for funding from government, what’s the point of participation.”
Sports minister Mussa says the government has yet to make its final decision on the matter.
“Look, the withdraw is not due yet,” he said. “It is only at the end of March. The other one is sometime in April. As a parent ministry, I have requested for a second round of discussions [with FAM officials] earmarked for Friday, this week.”
FAM’s president and the general secretary were reportedly outside the country. Its vice president, James Mwenda, told VOA he cannot comment on anything unless delegated.
“I am not mandated to speak,” Mwenda said.
Malawians hope government will reconsider its decision and meet FAM’s requests for the betterment of football in the country.
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University of Maryland researchers came to a recently held energy summit in Washington DC to show how air-conditioning technology could also be made more efficient. VOA’s George Putic reports.
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A prized violin that was stolen and missing for 35 years, recently returned to the concert stage for the first time since being recovered in 2015. The exquisite Stradivarius, made in the 18th century, belonged to virtuoso violinist, Roman Totenberg. One of Totenberg’s former students played the violin this week in its first public concert. VOA’s Deborah Block has more
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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, along with first daughter Ivanka Trump as a guest, welcomed a new musical that celebrates Canadian compassion and openness following the September 11 attacks.
Trudeau and Trump and some 120 ambassadors from around the world attended the show “Come From Away” Wednesday night at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, in one of the cities where the bulk of the 3,000 people on 9/11 died.
The musical is set in the small Newfoundland town of Gander, which opened its arms and homes to about 7,000 airline passengers diverted there when the U.S. government shut down its airspace. In a matter of a few hours, the town was overwhelmed by travelers from 38 planeloads and dozens of countries and religions, yet locals went to work in their kitchens and cleaned up spare rooms.
‘Lean on each other’
In remarks before the show, Trudeau got on the stage and said he was pleased that, “the world gets to see what it is to lean on each other and be there for each other through the darkest times.”
The show got a standing ovation, including from Trump, who sat beside Trudeau and U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. Also in attendance was Jean Chretien, a former Canadian prime minister. Trump was seen clapping along happily as the band played at the curtain call.
The actors did not acknowledge the special audience, but one afterward was still buzzing.
“When do we have the opportunity to share a story about kindness, gratitude and love that takes place in a country that is known for opening their hearts to people,” said actor Rodney Hicks. “It just meant the world to all of us.”
‘There for those tough times’
Trudeau, who champions global free trade and has welcomed 40,000 Syrian refugees, was celebrating Canada’s 150th anniversary of its Confederation to reaffirm the special friendship between Canadians and Americans.
“Our friends are there for those tough times, when you lose a parent or a loved one, when you get knocked off your path at a difficult moment in your life. Where you go through difficult times, that’s when you turn and you lean on your friends,” he said. “That ultimately is what this story is all about — being there for each other.”
In the show, a cast of a dozen play both residents and marooned passengers, telling true stories of generosity, compassion and acceptance, while fear and suspicion reigned in America. The show arrives just as a debate over immigration and open borders reignited following the Trump administration’s push for a ban on travelers from six predominantly Muslim nations.
Canadian husband-and-wife writing team Irene Sankoff and David Hein wrote the book, music and lyrics, and it was directed by Christopher Ashley, the artistic director of the La Jolla Playhouse. The musical veers its focus from weighty matters, a mother anxious about her missing firefighter son in New York, to more silly events, like a rowdy evening at a local bar where visitors are urged to kiss a cod.
Trudeau’s warm reception was in contrast to the ones that greeted two other world leaders who recently attended the Broadway smash “Hamilton,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Vice President-elect Mike Pence. Both received more than a smattering of boos.
“Hackers,” whether they’re Wikileaks or malicious computer coders, have a bad reputation. But there are also hackers who are simply trying to create a more user-friendly world. Think of them as New Age do-it-yourselfers.
And they have playgrounds where they do their hacking.
Hacker Safe Spaces
Tinkerers around the world are starting to come together at so-called hacker spaces, to share tools and camaraderie. These hacker spaces include a member-financed club in a warehouse in Oakland, California called Ace Monster Toys.
Jose’s full time work is as an architect, but in his spare time, he hangs out at Ace Monster Toys so he can use big “toys” like a buzz saw.
He hacks guitars out of old wood, including one created entirely from triangular scraps of highly-prized purple heartwood that a carpenter had thrown away after completing a project.
Different rooms, different tech
Rachel McCrafty, an artist, designer, and maker whose real name is Rachel Sadd, runs Ace Monster Toys. She says Jose’s work represents the heart of what they do here.
“That he made something epically beautiful out of trash,” she says, “that’s the essence, to me, of hacking.”
She says Ace is a great place to hack, tinker and collaborate on a variety of projects.
There’s a textile room, where quilt squares made in the beginner’s sewing class are displayed on one wall. The highlight is the club’s professional sewing machine.
In another part of the building, it’s more high-tech. Software engineer Walt joins Jason, a sound engineer, to experiment with Jason’s latest “toy.” It’s a programmable music cube he’s developed that flashes green and yellow as it changes pitch, all in a clear cube that’s no bigger than the palm of your hand.
Upstairs at an electrician’s table, red lights flash as part of a baton-sized gizmo for scaring pets away from cars. Kam, its creator, is a salesman for a semiconductor equipment maker. He says that he’s learned new ways to program gadgets, thanks to other Ace Club members.
In fact, the people who hack here say that one of the best things about this place, is the people who hack here.
“Whenever I run into problems, people here help me,” Kam says. “They are very nice people. Very helpful.”
McCrafty says she planned it that way.
“Our teachers are volunteers, our tool stewards are volunteers, our board members serve as volunteers. They’re just incredibly generous.”
A cooperative space
The club’s 150 members pay monthly dues to cover the building’s rent, and to get their hands on cool stuff, like a 3-D desktop printer, and a monster-sized laser cutter that can cleanly cut wood into the curvy front of an electric guitar, or make something as delicate as a paper octopus. Members can use the tools anytime, day or night. McCrafty says it works out, thanks to rules that emphasize communication and respect.
“Respect yourself. Be safe. Respect the space,” she says. “Respect the people you’re sharing with.”
These values pay off, as they did for Owen and Arun. The young entrepreneurs are here every day, all day, using computers in the club’s shared office space. They’re programming Amazon’s virtual assistant Alexa to be a virtual banking expert that readily answers financial questions.
By hanging out at Ace, Owen says they’ve learned more about how a high-tech probability model can enhance Alexa’s virtual banking expertise.
“It was actually our friend, Walt. We had just met him then, and he said, ‘Hey, I couldn’t help but overhear, you guys were talking about a Bayesian classifier. Let me tell you how I use that in my current job.'”
Looking around at his fellow hackers, Owen added, “So I think it’s pretty critical that we’re in a space where people are generous with their time, they’re super motivated and working on their own projects. It just creates these chance encounters.”
It all makes this hackerspace greater than the sum of its parts, or its members, all of them offering unique ways for people to “play” together.
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McDonald’s has started testing mobile order-and-pay after acknowledging the ordering process in its restaurants can be “stressful.”
The company says it will gather feedback from the test before launching the option nationally toward the end of the year. It says mobile order-and-pay is now available at 29 stores in Monterey and Salinas, California, and will expand to 51 more locations in Spokane, Washington, next week.
The rollout comes as customers increasingly seek out convenience through options like online ordering or delivery. McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook has noted the initial stages of visiting can be “stressful,” and the chain is making changes to improve the overall customer experience. That includes introducing ordering kiosks, which McDonald’s says can help ease lines at the counter and improve the accuracy of orders – another frustration for customers. Easterbrook has also talked about the potential of delivery.
With its mobile order-and-pay option, McDonald’s says customers place an order on its app then go to a restaurant and “check in” to select how they want to get their food. That could be at the counter, in the drive-thru, or with curbside delivery, where an employee brings out orders to a designated space. Orders are prepared once customers check in at the restaurant.
Starbucks has already found success using its mobile app and loyalty program to encourage people to visit more often and spend more when they do. The chain has also said its mobile order-and-pay option was so popular that it caused congestion at pick-up counters last year, leading some customers who walked into stores to leave without buying anything. Starbucks said it is working on fixing those issues.
It’s not clear whether McDonald’s will be able to get the same level of usage for its mobile app and order-and-pay option. Since coffee tends to be more of a daily habit, for instance, people may be more willing to download an app for it on their phones.
Angelina Jolie is set to teach a master’s course at the prestigious London School of Economics this fall as a visiting professor.
The London Evening Standard reports the 41-year-old actress and filmmaker gave a preview of her class Tuesday with a lecture at the school’s Centre for Women, Peace and Security. She told the newspaper before the lecture that she was “a little nervous,” but she hoped to do well because the talk was “very important” to her.
The Standard reports that Jolie will be lecturing in an unpaid post in September as part of a master’s program on women, peace and security.
Jolie’s humanitarian work is well-known. She serves as a special envoy of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Those encrypted messaging apps you may have been using to avoid prying eyes had a major flaw that could have allowed access to hackers, according to a cybersecurity firm.
According to Check Point Software Technologies, both Telegram and WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, were vulnerable.
The company said it withheld the information until the security holes were patched, saying “hundreds of millions” of users could have been compromised.
The vulnerability involved infecting digital images with malicious code that would have been activated upon clicking the pic. That, according to Check Point, could have made accounts susceptible to hijacking.
“This new vulnerability put hundreds of millions of WhatsApp Web and Telegram Web users at risk of complete account take over,” Check Point head of product vulnerability Oded Vanunu said in a news release. “By simply sending an innocent looking photo, an attacker could gain control over the account, access message history, all photos that were ever shared, and send messages on behalf of the user.”
Both apps tout so-called end-to-end encryption to ensure privacy, but according to Check Point, that made it hard to spot malicious code.
Patching the vulnerability involved blocking the code before the messages were encrypted.
WhatsApp claims to have more than one billion users, while Telegram has more than 100 million.
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