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Digitally resurrecting actors is still a terrible idea

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In the long-running Alien film series, the Weyland-Yutani corporation can not seem to let go of a terrible idea: it’s still attempting to money in on a deadly movie xenomorph.

No matter how again and again they fail, irrespective of how many individuals die in the method, each time the corporate comes across a familiar, chest-bursting, acid-blooded alien, corporate executives can’t help but say, “We can do this.”

Unfortunately, as much as I loved Alien: Romulus (and I did, a lot!), this recent sequel (or “interquel”) can’t appear to shake off a terrible idea: Hollywood’s obsession with using CGI to rejuvenate or resurrect beloved actors.

De-aging has grow to be more common as filmmakers have attempted to simulate a younger Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Shield of Destiny,” a younger Will Smith in “Gemini Man” or a younger Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in “The Irishman.”

But effects have also been used to bring actors and characters back from the dead, akin to Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin in “Rogue One.” “Alien: Romulus” attempts a similar trick — while it doesn’t resurrect the very same murderous android from the unique “Alien,” it does feature a similar model, played apparently by the identical actor, Ian Holm, who died in 2020.

The filmmakers said brought Holm’s likeness to the screen using animatronics and a performance by actor Daniel Betts, and there is also clear CGI. Since replacing actors with digital simulacra was one among the hot topics from last 12 months’s actors’ strikeNo wonder the director of “Romulus”, Fede Álvarez, recalled hearing similar comments in the course of the shooting of the film: “I remember someone saying, ‘That’s it, they’ll replace us as actors.'”

But Álvarez believes these fears are exaggerated.

“’Man, if I hire you, it’s going to cost me one person’s money,’” he said. “You literally have to hire 45 people to do that. And you still have to hire an actor to do the show!”

So from a final perspective, working actors may don’t have anything to fret about… for now. And then there’s this: Every example I’ve seen, including “Romulus,” looks…

I’m sure there are various talented visual effects artists working on these effects, and I’m sure they’ve made some progress through the years. There’s something almost noble in the best way they keep throwing themselves at a problem, only to deliver the identical amazing results – irrespective of how close they got to the true thing, I’ve never seen a de-aged actor or digital ghost that wasn’t immediately obvious. Every single one among them makes me aware of their fakeness for each second they’re on screen.

“Romulus” provided a particularly stark demonstration. When viewers first caught a glimpse of Holm’s recent/old character, Rook, his face was obscured—we only saw him from the back and side, heard his familiar, distorted voice, and that was it. Suggestion did all of the work; no digital resurrection was required (no less than not visually).

Then, unfortunately, the film cut to his face, and I immediately gasped in recognition. Instead of specializing in the plain CGI on screen, my mind wandered, picturing some studio exec saying, “We can do this.”

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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US medical device giant Artivion says hackers stole files during a cybersecurity incident

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Artivion, a medical device company that produces implantable tissue for heart and vascular transplants, says its services have been “disrupted” resulting from a cybersecurity incident.

In 8-K filing In an interview with the SEC on Monday, Georgia-based Artivion, formerly CryoLife, said it became aware of a “cybersecurity incident” that involved the “compromise and encryption” of information on November 21. This suggests that the corporate was attacked by ransomware, but Artivion has not yet confirmed the character of the incident and didn’t immediately reply to TechCrunch’s questions. No major ransomware group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Artivion said it took some systems offline in response to the cyberattack, which the corporate said caused “disruptions to certain ordering and shipping processes.”

Artivion, which reported third-quarter revenue of $95.8 million, said it didn’t expect the incident to have a material impact on the corporate’s funds.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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It’s a Raspberry Pi 5 in a keyboard and it’s called Raspberry Pi 500

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Manufacturer of single-board computers Raspberry Pi is updating its cute little computer keyboard device with higher specs. Named Raspberry Pi500This successor to the Raspberry Pi 400 is just as powerful as the present Raspberry Pi flagship, the Raspberry Pi 5. It is on the market for purchase now from Raspberry Pi resellers.

The Raspberry Pi 500 is the simplest method to start with the Raspberry Pi because it’s not as intimidating because the Raspberry Pi 5. When you take a look at the Raspberry Pi 500, you do not see any chipsets or PCBs (printed circuit boards). The Raspberry Pi is totally hidden in the familiar housing, the keyboard.

The idea with the Raspberry Pi 500 is you could connect a mouse and a display and you are able to go. If, for instance, you’ve got a relative who uses a very outdated computer with an outdated version of Windows, the Raspberry Pi 500 can easily replace the old PC tower for many computing tasks.

More importantly, this device brings us back to the roots of the Raspberry Pi. Raspberry Pi computers were originally intended for educational applications. Over time, technology enthusiasts and industrial customers began using single-board computers all over the place. (For example, when you’ve ever been to London Heathrow Airport, all of the departures and arrivals boards are there powered by Raspberry Pi.)

Raspberry Pi 500 draws inspiration from the roots of the Raspberry Pi Foundation, a non-profit organization. It’s the right first computer for college. In some ways, it’s a lot better than a Chromebook or iPad because it’s low cost and highly customizable, which inspires creative pondering.

The Raspberry Pi 500 comes with a 32GB SD card that comes pre-installed with Raspberry Pi OS, a Debian-based Linux distribution. It costs $90, which is a slight ($20) price increase over the Raspberry Pi 400.

Only UK and US keyboard variants will probably be available at launch. But versions with French, German, Italian, Japanese, Nordic and Spanish keyboard layouts will probably be available soon. And when you’re in search of a bundle that features all the things you would like, Raspberry Pi also offers a $120 desktop kit that features the Raspberry Pi 500, a mouse, a 27W USB-C power adapter, and a micro-HDMI to HDMI cable.

In other news, Raspberry Pi has announced one other recent thing: the Raspberry Pi monitor. It is a 15.6-inch 1080p monitor that’s priced at $100. Since there are quite a few 1080p portable monitors available on the market, this launch is not as noteworthy because the Pi 500. However, for die-hard Pi fans, there’s now also a Raspberry Pi-branded monitor option available.

Image credits:Raspberry Pi

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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Apple Vision Pro may add support for PlayStation VR controllers

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Vision Pro headset

According to Apple, Apple desires to make its Vision Pro mixed reality device more attractive for gamers and game developers latest report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

The Vision Pro was presented more as a productivity and media consumption device than a tool geared toward gamers, due partly to its reliance on visual and hand controls moderately than a separate controller.

However, Apple may need gamers if it desires to expand the Vision Pro’s audience, especially since Gurman reports that lower than half one million units have been sold to this point. As such, the corporate has reportedly been in talks with Sony about adding support for PlayStation VR2 handheld controllers, and has also talked to developers about whether they may support the controllers of their games.

Offering more precise control, Apple may also make other forms of software available in Vision Pro, reminiscent of Final Cut Pro or Adobe Photoshop.

This article was originally published on : techcrunch.com
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