Resurrecting Michael Jackson from the Dead

Its no longer news that the late King of Pop Michael Jackson performed live recently at the annual Billboard music award which sparked an up roar from some quarters. The said performance didn’t come cheap as the technology took a year plus to build, develop and enhance.

Stephen Rosenbaum the scientist was tasked with digitally creating one of the world’s most famous performers, Michael Jackson, to promote a new song, ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ at the live event of the Billboard Awards. It was a digital performance with excellent facial animation built on a range of technologies from Light Stage facial capture to motion capture. Given the enormous importance of Michael Jackson to music generally and his global reputation for stunning live performances, the job of allowing an audience to once again see him perform brought with it a justifiable amount of pressure. Clearly, after decades of enjoying his performances, the audience knows how Jackson moved, they know how he looked, and literally anything less than stunningly accurate wasn’t going to work.

Although this is not the first time this kind technology has been used to bring back a lost artist in the Tupac Shakur back in 2012 at a certain music event, Owners of technology famously employed to digitally produce deceased rapper Tupac Shakur can't block the producers of the Billboard Music Awards from resurrecting pop icon Michael Jackson at Sunday's annual show, a federal judge ruled late Friday while the billboard event is slated for sunday.

 Billboard has been promoting the "history-making performance" at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and it turns out the star is Michael Jackson. At the performance, his hologram will promoteXscape, Jackson's new album released posthumously.

Eyes popped at the staggering $500,000 cost to produce Michael Jackson's nearly 14-minute-long "Thriller" video in 1983. Fast forward to today, and a nearly 4-minute-long hologram performance at the recent Billboard Music Awards by a now-deceased Jackson cost "multiple millions" to make, according to Frank Patterson, the chief executive of Pulse, the company that produced the show. Patterson said in a phone interview that he was still ringing up the cash register and had not yet finalized the tab. The Jackson estate, he said, had asked Pulse to do the job. Six months later, and after countless hours of coding and "reviewing thousands of videos of Michael's work," the King of Pop was brought back to life.

Simulating Jackson's moonwalking was nothing compared to making the hair look right. "Getting the hair to act and look like Michael's hair was a feat," Patterson said. Using custom coding and animation programs like Maya and Nuke, Patterson said that Pulse remade Jackson countless times.

"We had what we thought was perfect motion and animation, but it didn't feel like Michael Jackson," he said. So the company tried "instilling humanity into the visual object," he said. Along the way, "It started giving us chills."Even so, the May 18 show in Las Vegas almost didn't happen because Hologram USA and Musion Das Hologram tried to block the resurrection of Jackson.

Days before the Billboard Music Awards, a Nevada federal judge put the brakes on an emergency injunction demand from Hologram USA and Musion Das Hologram, who claimed that the projection technology used to produce Jackson would infringe their optical projection methodology.

US District Judge Kent Dawson, however, ruled that Hologram USA and Musion could not immediately prove that their technology would be breached when the deceased Jackson belts his posthumously produced new tune "Slave to the Rhythm."

That the show went on brings with it new worries for celebrities. To be sure, where to dine and vacation are among the stars' usual concerns. But Pulse executive chairman John Textor said that the time has come for celebrities to increase the vanity volume to 11 and begin mulling over their "synthetic" or "digital" image, as he described it. "We think living celebrities should be concerned now about controlling their digital likeness," Textor said in a telephone call.

He's not even sure of the words to use to describe a hologram of a human. "Digital humans, synthetic humans?" he said. "We're struggling on what to call this."

Microsoft developing gen-next 'no-touch' screens















US tech giant Microsoft is working on next generation technology that will enable 'no-touch' phones, tablets and televisions that can be operated from afar, without the need to swipe them.

The technology will allow users to control a screen with their fingers even from the other side of the room and put their hands through a screen to 'touch' objects.

Microsoft said it is has begun to create machines that move far beyond touchscreens.

Rico Malvar, Microsoft's chief scientist, said work has begun on new screens that can be manipulated without needing to approach a gadget.

The company is building an electronic bracelet that can detect movements in a person's fingers, allowing them to imitate the actions of poking and flicking the screen to operate a device.

The bracelet would allow people to operate a television despite having their back turned or control a mobile phone with their hands in their pockets, 'The Times' reported.

Microsoft has also unveiled new "interactive displays".

Among them is a "floating display", which gives the illusion of a globe spinning or a dragon flying, just inches above a flat monitor. Cameras and motion sensors then allow people to interact with these floating objects.

Another prototype allows someone sitting in front of a large screen to see a series of cubes. They can then slip their hands behind the device in order to "touch" these objects.

This device operates by surrounding a screen with cameras that can detect the user and their movements, matching them to on-screen items.

Tim Large, a researcher from Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group, said that final versions of these displays will be ready in two to five years.

PayPal storms Nigeria this week!

PayPal, an international e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet, is entering Nigeria and 9 other countries this week.

When i was browsing through the internet this evening, I saw a news headline by Reuters which says ‘PayPal expands payment services to Nigeria, 9 other markets’. I was wondering how true this could be, before a friend called me to confirm the genuineness of the news. :lol:

According to Reuters, PayPal is entering 10 new countries this week, including Nigeria, providing online payment alternatives for consumers via mobile phones or PCs in markets often blighted by financial fraud.

“PayPal has been going through a period of reinvention, refreshing many of its services to make them easier to use on mobile (phones), allowing us to expand into fast-developing markets,” Keeley said.

Five European markets – Belarus, Macedonia, Moldova, Monaco and Montenegro, four in the African nations of Nigeria, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, and Zimbabwe, as well as Paraguay will gain access to PayPal global services this week.

Once the services go live, customers in the 10 countries with access to the Web and a bank card authorized for Internet transactions will be able to register for a PayPal account and make payments to millions of sites worldwide.

Source: Reuters

8 Ways to Protect your Smartphone from Malware Infection

By Don Caprio


Malicious software or Malware is the most common threat to mobile devices. The rise in Smartphones and the host of apps that can be downloaded to spruce up the smartphone is one of the best possible sources of infection. As we have often associated virus attacks with our computers, we seldom consider the possibility of malware affecting our dear little Smartphone. Come on, isn’t that something we use only to make phone calls and send text messages? Wait a minute. Have you forgotten the countless apps you have downloaded
into your phone. If your phone is on the Internet, it is as susceptible to a virus attack as anything else.

In 2013, research revealed that the popular operating system, Android, is found to be installed
in almost 204.4 million Smartphones. Cybercriminals have caught on to this huge user base and have unleashed malware to obtain personal information illegally. In fact the most widespread impact of malware attacks across platforms are felt on intrusion of user privacy and short message fraud.
The smart phone user base, happily unaware of these possibilities, has left their devices practically unprotected. Research has revealed that only 5% of the Smartphone users have some sort of anti-virus programs installed on their device. This is appalling considering the massive adoption rate of smartphones perceived in the recent years.
However, it also needs to be emphasized that though an antivirus may be an effective protection from Malware attacks, it is not the only solution.

There are numerous options made available that you need to consider in order to protect your device
from the heinous assault of cyber criminals.
Here are 8 things you should take note of to stay protected:
1. Beware of fake apps even on Play Store
On the Play Store, there are loads of fake apps designed with the intention of infecting your device and stealing your private information. Some apps
are designed only to push ads to you smartphone.
As a matter of fact, most popular apps often have similar ones that are actually fakes. You should be careful with these sort of apps.
2. Download only from official stores
While downloading apps may have become an obsession for you, it is crucial to realize the importance of approaching trusted and legal sources
for this. App stores like Google Play, Amazon and Samsung are the most trusted in the Android market. This is not only owing to their brand value,
but also because they follow the best practices to monitor and scan all potentially fraudulent programs
before putting them on the shelf.
Mistakes do occur and some apps containing malwares (and adwares at times) may be found in these stores but they’re are quickly removed in
most cases.
3. Avoid pirated apps
If you love cracks and pirated apps, your devicemay become infected without you even knowing it.
Pirated apps most often carry Malware strands.Besides, you’re not helping the developers who work hard trying to create these games and apps.
4. Porn is the most efficient source of malware delivery:
 I’m in no position to judge you or tell you what to do
with your device but it has been proven that pornographic sites are the most efficient when it comes to infecting your device with malwares. Well, you know what to do… be careful with sites you
visit.
5. Avoid Apps that talk big:
Avoid all Apps that make big promises and have bad reviews.These are always potential sources of Malware attacks. Before downloading anything, be
sure you read what users say about it. I often judge the quality of an app based on users feddback.
Read up everything you can before you download the app.
6. Rooted devices are more susceptible
Most advanced users choose to root their devices,giving apps root access. This means the your apps
can get access to whatever it wants once you grant the app super user privilege. Extra care should be
taken when using a rooted android device and be careful with apps you grant super user permission.
7. Install an antivirus
There are different antivirus programs available and installing one shouldn’t be that hard. Avast, AVG,
Kapersky, Webroot and many others have a mobile version you can use on your smartphone (especially
Android).
8. Stay updated
Be on your toes so far as updates are concerned.
This is one way in which manufacturers and carriers ensure that you remain protected from Malware attacks. These updates can include enhancements,
bug fixes, new features each of which are designed to keep your system in tune with the right way to tackle the malicious attacks.
Apart from updating your apps, be sure your device operating system is also up to date.

Understanding phone etiquette

 by Nigeria Communication Commission(NCC)

A telephone conversation is all about communicating in the right way, as it is different from a face to face conversation, which makes understanding the other person pretty easy for you. Observing telephone manners is important especially if it is an official call that you are making or receiving. Being able to speak on the phone with good manners as communicating face to face.

Steps to better phone manners

-          Always introduce yourself: when you call someone, a friend , family or stranger speak clearly in a modulated voice and introduce yourself, smile before taking the call, this allows you to be more amicable.

-          Be well-mannered: it would be a better world if we treated each other the way we wish to be treated. When you are on the telephone with someone, you should treat the caller with the dignity and respect we expect from them.

-          Proper Tone of voice: tone of voice is the non-verbal component  of your telephone personality. Do not sound anxious, aggressive or pushy. While in public, yelling, rude language and profanity may be inappropriate and offensive to those within earshot.

-          Beware of your language: your use of language can make or break a call. There are certain words and phrases that can quickly turn off a caller. Things like “I don’t know”, “we can’t do that” . On the other hand, there are words and phrases that are music to a caller’s ears, such as “let me see what I can do for you” or “I’m not sure, but let me check and see” show a caller that you care about them and at least you are trying to help.

-          Develop listening skills: many people have a tendency on the phone, while not giving the other person a chance to speak. Do realize that is is important to listen to the other side as well.

-          Do not hold inappropriate conversation in the public: Use appropriate volume when speaking on the phone, everyone around you does not need to hear your conversation, do not put your phone on speaker. Your conversation should be discrete.

-          Do not use loud ringtones: avoid excessively loud or annoying ringtones. They can be very disruptive or aggravating to those around you.

-          Call at appropriate time: consider your call timing whether it is your friend, acquaintance, business partner or workplace colleague, you should consider the time of calling a person. Unless its very urgent,  do not disturb a person when he/she is busy or during the peak working hours.

-          Do not put a caller on hold for a long time: if you have a caller on hold for a long time, be sure to check back within few minutes, as to whether he/she would like to continue to be on hold or not.

-          Give your full attention:  do not make calls while driving, shopping, banking or doing something else. It puts your life and other in danger and cause distraction.

-          Know where to use your phone: If your cell phone rings while you are talking or having a meal with someone, take the call only if it is important and excuse yourself for the duration of the call.

BENEFITS OF GOOD PHONE MANNERS include:

1.       Telephone manners are very important because when you present yourself indirectly. The listener may interpret your body language by your tone of voice and speaking skills.

2.       A voice on the telephone is often the first impression a future customer, potential client or stakeholder has of a company or organization. The tone, pleasantness and politeness of the individuals in their telephone communication are responsible for the image the company projects to the public.

3.       Telephone manners are not rules but they help form better relationships with colleagues, clients, family members, friends, neighbors and even strangers.

Proper business phone manners make a positive impression on your callers, keep clients on the telephone satisfied and strengthen a business brand.