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digibiography · 1 year

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Travis Barker Net Worth

Travis Barker Net Worth According to Celebrity Net Worth, Travis Barker Net Worth is estimated to be around $50 million. He has accumulated his wealth through his successful music career, business ventures, and other ventures. Barker's work with Blink-182 has been one of his most significant sources of income. The band's successful albums and tours have helped him earn millions of dollars over the years. Barker has also earned money through his solo projects, collaborations, and other business interests. In addition to his financial success, Barker has also received critical acclaim for his work. He has been nominated for and won several awards, including a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album for Blink-182's "Take Off Your Pants and Jacket." Travis Barker’s Assets & Investments Real Estate Investments One of Barker's most significant investments has been in real estate. He owns several properties in California, including a $4.8 million mansion in Calabasas and a $2.8 million home in Cheviot Hills. He has also invested in commercial properties, including a music studio in Burbank. Other Business Ventures Barker has also invested in other businesses, including a vegan restaurant called Crossroads Kitchen and a CBD oil company called Barker Wellness Co. He has also partnered with companies such as Zildjian Cymbals and Drum Workshop. Travis Barker Net Worth Growth Rate Travis Barker's net worth has grown significantly over the years due to his successful music career and business ventures. While exact figures vary, it's estimated that his net worth is around $50 million as of 2023. Music Career

Barker's music career has been the primary source of his wealth. He rose to fame as the drummer for the band Blink-182, which sold over 50 million records worldwide. He has also collaborated with other musicians and bands, including Transplants, Box Car Racer, and +44.

Barker has also worked as a producer and remixer for various artists, including Pink, The Black Eyed Peas, and Yelawolf. He has won multiple awards for his music, including a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album in 2011.

Business Ventures

In addition to his music career, Barker has made smart investments in various businesses, as we have discussed before. His clothing lines, real estate investments, and partnerships with companies have contributed significantly to his net worth growth.

Travis Barker Business (Famous Stars and Straps)

Founding of Famous Stars and Straps

Barker was inspired to create Famous Stars and Straps as a way to combine his love for music and fashion. The brand's logo, which features a stylized "F" and "S" with a star in the middle, quickly became popular among fans of punk rock and streetwear.

Expansion of the Brand

Over the years, Famous Stars and Straps has expanded to include a wide range of clothing and accessories, including t-shirts, hoodies, hats, and bags. The brand has also collaborated with other companies, such as Vans and DC Shoes, to create limited edition footwear and apparel.

Brand Philosophy

Famous Stars and Straps is more than just a clothing line; it's a lifestyle brand that reflects Barker's personal philosophy. The brand's motto, "Family, Loyalty, and Respect," emphasizes the importance of relationships and staying true to oneself.

Travis Barker’s Cars

Travis Barker the famous drummer of Blink-182, is known for his love of cars and has a collection of high-end vehicles. Some of the cars in his collection include:

Mercedes-Maybach S 650: This luxurious sedan is one of the most expensive models in Barker's collection, with a starting price of over $200,000.

Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe: This convertible luxury car is one of the most unique vehicles in Barker's collection and is valued at over $400,000.

Cadillac Escalade ESV: This large SUV is often used to transport Barker and his family and has been customized with a sound system and other modifications.

Tesla Model S: This electric vehicle is a more eco-friendly option in Barker's collection and has a sleek and modern design.

1956 Ford F-100: This classic pickup truck is one of Barker's favorite vehicles and has been restored with modern features while maintaining its vintage charm.

Overall, Travis Barker's car collection is a reflection of his love of luxury and unique vehicles. His collection includes both modern and classic cars, and many of his vehicles have been customized with unique features and modifications. Travis Barker Liabilities and Loans Travis Barker, the American musician and drummer, may have various liabilities and loans as a result of his personal and professional activities.

Liabilities refer to any debts or financial obligations that Travis Barker may owe to others, such as credit card debt, mortgages, car loans, or unpaid taxes. These liabilities could have resulted from his personal expenses or his business ventures, such as record labels, music tours, or clothing lines.

Similarly, Travis Barker may have taken out loans to finance his various projects, such as purchasing equipment, studio time, or investing in businesses. These loans may have been obtained from banks, private lenders, or investors, and will likely have associated interest rates and repayment terms.

As a public figure and successful musician, Travis Barker may have a team of financial professionals who help manage his assets and liabilities. However, without specific information about his financial situation, it is impossible to know the exact nature and extent of his liabilities and loans.

#Travis Barker Net Worth #Travis Barker

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lisahiltonmusic · 2 years

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P A R A D I S E C O V E Available Everywhere Dec 2nd

Composer, Pianist & Producer Lisa HiltonDebuts Her Dynamic New Quarte “A unique & brilliant sound by one of the best jazz pianists & composers around." — KVNF Radio

“Reminiscent of many reflective moments intuited by such influences as Dave Brubeck, Brad Mehldau, & Bill Evans.” All About Jazz

“Hilton channels the everyday beauty she sees around her into her music…jazz played with style, soul, spirit and sophistication…” Modern Jazz Today

“Elegantly-crafted and warmly-conveyed new album…” Exclusive Magazine

I love the way jazz tugs at our emotions in a way no other music can: it can calmly seduce your soul or prompt you to dance," states the award-winning composer and acclaimed pianist Lisa Hilton in the liner notes for her latest release, Coincidental Moment (Ruby Slippers Productions 1029), out December 1, 2023. She continues, “The music here reflects the cool energies and history of jazz, but definitely sounds like today.”The nine original compositions and two cover tunes are laced throughout with rich blue tones augmented by modal flights all shimmering and swinging with Hilton's expressive touch on the piano. Coincidental Moment gracefully shares the spotlight with quartet mates Igmar Thomas on trumpet, Luques Curtis on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums and percussion. Royston's drum mastery is evident throughout the album, but his delightful and catchy bongo rhythms are also featured on tracks Jagged Lil' Bluesand Blue Tropics. Jazz traditionalists will enjoy the retro vibes of Happily Go Luckily and Anxiety Society with their cool grooves and snappy trumpet improvisations by Thomas. The entire quartet shines on the evocative Spanish-tinged Enigmatic Adventure and infuse Everyday Anthem with a stirring gospel energy. The inclusion of the iconic Miles Davis/Bill Evans track Blue In Green, shows the breadth of this band – Thomas's moody muted tones, contrasting but blending with Hilton's fluid piano, are underscored by Curtis's deep bass timbre and Royston's delicate touch on cymbals. An interesting choice was the inclusion of West Coast, written by singer/composer Lana Del Rey: the quartet easily turns this pop track into a darker and very expressive experience. Curtis is a vital contributor throughout, especially on the trio track Multiple Perspectives, which blends jazz rhythms and classical interludes with agility. Hilton's skill in composing intimate ballads is apparent on the title track - performed as a trio – and on Uncommon Poetry, which closes the album as an eloquent solo piano piece. Saturated with lush harmonic ideas and brimming with textures and emotions, the album Coincidental Moment is jazz just right for any moment. About Lisa Kristine Hilton The music of Lisa Hilton draws on classic American jazz greats such as Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Horace Silver, and Count Basie, as well as blues heroes Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson. She is a prolific composer who records and performs with many of today's jazz luminaries. Her twenty-eight albums sit regularly at the top of the Jazz Week and other radio/streaming charts for the last two decades, drawing millions of plays on streaming services and appearing regularly as an Amazon #1 New Jazz Release. Hilton has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, The Smithsonian Institution, UCLA's Royce Theatre, San Francisco Jazz, and Chicago's historic Green Mill. Hilton is also the creator and co-author of the popular children's book If Dinosaurs Were Alive Today (Price Stern Sloan), which she co-wrote with her sister, Sandra L. Kirkpatrick. The book was recently updated and published as a digital version by the same name.

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theloniousbach · 2 years

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KENNY BARRON with Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Johnathan Blake, JAZZ ST LOUIS, 14 APRIL (Couch Tour)-15 APRIL 2022

Both Kenny Barron and Johnathan Blake are on the very shortlists of my favorites on their instruments, so throw in the impressively fluid and powerful Kiyoshi Kitagawa who more than holds his own and give them years of working together and the whole is more than the sum of already significant amounts. Indeed, Friday night in person was, despite some hassle on the restaurant side, among the most sublime and exciting performances I’ve heard/seen in years. I may well in time mythologize it along with The Jerry Hahn Brotherhood in 1970, 13 November 1972 Grateful Dead, 1 August 2002 Phil Lesh Quintet, even the Oscar Peterson Trio in 1964.

Barron has taste and touch galore, but, particularly prodded by both Kitagawa and Blake, he can roar. Blake blew it out on his leader’s Calypso (and evocation of a Bed-Stuy record shop where Barron could hear Coltrane and the Mighty Sparrow) both nights, but the energy in the room led to an unplanned extra tune to close out our Friday night set. That closer was no less than Wayne Shorter’s Footprints.

Barron was reflexively sublime—the solo Ellington/Strayhorn medley (Lotus Blossom>A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing>Melancholia>Star Crossed Lovers) is part of what makes Friday legendary, but his own ballad closer Thursday Cook’s Bay and both nights’ Aquelle Frevo Axe from Caetano Veloso was both delicate and insistently rhythmic with Kitagawa and Blake showing their own grace and subtlety.

New York Attitude both nights and Friday’s opener Well You Needn’t revved the motor some as Footprints did, but it’s a Rolls Royce engine. Thursday night opened with Shuffle Boil; so while. Barron opens with Monk, Fred Hersch closes with him. And that, folks, is part why why they’re both on my shortlist. Friday’s mythic character builds on the Monk opener, the Ellington/Strayhorn mid-set medley, and the Shorter impromptu closer. Plus Barron writes a mean tune or several himself and immaculate taste for standards, but if Thursday’s Skylark had replaced Friday’s For Heaven’s Sake….

Kitagawa was not just a great team player, probing the rhythmic and harmonic possibilities his bandmates’ presented and which he in turn prodded them with his own inventions. He bubbled during the Monks and New York Attitude and his solos were technical marvels (chords on the second and fourth string up the fingerboard or chordal shapes cross”picked”) but always musical. Similarly, Blake with his low cymbals and high stool could flick out rhythms. He’s a big but also nimble man. I’ve seen him often on the streams from New York and marveled at his taste and power.

And I have noted the same in Barron with perhaps even more helpings of taste. But Barron neither reined in his drummer nor refused to go toe to toe with him. But they’re both extremely elegant players.

And when a night like Friday’s happens, we all are elevated.

#concert review #jazz #2022 #jazz st louis #couch tour

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myhairisadisgrace · 7 years

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Chapter 1: She Got Long Black Wavy Hair

1972 M/F Roger Taylor

Roger paced back and forth nervously as the band stood backstage and anxiously awaited the opening band to finish their set. Tonight Queen were to be the headlining act for the first time, and their gig at Imperial College had people absolutely packed to the brim in the tiny hall. The band couldn’t believe their luck - they finally seemed to be getting some kind of attention from the public, and in turn, their live gigs were getting better and better.

The muffled music coming from the first band served to be a distraction for Roger as Freddie put the finishing touch on his hair as he swished around elegantly in his stage costume; Brian and John were sitting on the ratty red couch, tuning their instruments for the fiftieth time. Roger sighed and meandered out of the green room, lingering at the edge of the curtain, peering out onto the stage stealthily - usually he couldn’t give two fucks about opening bands, but this one piqued his interest. Not only were they musically valid, but their lead singer branded a beautiful guitar, a killer voice, and was… a girl? He stared, shocked.

Not that Roger didn’t mind. He just hadn’t ever seen such a spectacle. She not only commanded the stage, but was also obviously well-versed when it came to guitar and had a soaring voice to match. He watched, entranced, as the band finished up their final song to thunderous applause, only to be knocked out of his current state by the band’s own drummer hastily stepping off stage and yelling over the crowd - “it’s all yours, mate”. Roger blinked, turning to hurry back to the green room, only stopping for half a second to give the singer another glance.

Back in the room, the rest of the band was gearing up to perform. The roadies would soon have their own equipment ready for use. Roger twirled a clearly battered drumstick in his hand and abruptly dropped it when the girl from the band strode confidently into the green room, followed by the rest of her bandmates.

“Watch it, Rog”, Freddie stated with a twinkle in his eye. “You know how Trident feels about us breaking any more sticks.”

“Oi, shaddap”, the blonde rasped. “I don’t need to think of those fucks before I do a gig.”

Freddie let a small giggle slip and immediately watched Roger’s baby blues following the girl around the room as she set her guitar in an old worn case, her teased wavy hair dangling down in front of her face as she lovingly closed the case and propped it up against the worn couch. She donned a long metallic black dress, the slip showing high red platform boots. But Roger just wanted a glance at her damn face-

“You look like you just stumbled upon a Rolls Royce with the keys still in it, Rog,” Freddie said dryly.

“Huh?” Roger was way too involved in his obvious ogling, which clearly annoyed Freddie. How dare Roger ignore him? His disdain quickly melted away as Freddie saw the look on the drummer’s face and turned to inspect his ornate outfit instead, quietly laughing to himself. He knew that look. He hadn’t seen it in a long time, but he knew it.

“Thirty seconds!” Roger awoke from his trance as the stage manager shouted into the room. Hurriedly grabbing his sticks, he met the other three members at the side of the stage, obscured by the thick black curtain hanging at the side.

“What’re we opening with?” Roger said, dazedly glancing at the crowd. He hadn’t realized just how many people were here.

“What do you think?” Brian glared, and walked out on stage, playing the opening riff to Keep Yourself Alive. Roger nodded and joined him along with John thumping away at his bass. The crowd cheered, and all of Roger’s thoughts faded away as the task at hand became most important.

The last to join the stage was obviously Freddie, which the crowd welcomed with a hearty set of screams from females and males alike. Roger was always the one with the most female attention, but Freddie’s ability to captivate any and all genders never ceased to amaze Roger. He smiled to himself as Freddie pointed out into the crowd, which elicited a few squeaks of excitement. He then turned to Roger, awaiting the next line of the song.

“Do you think you’re better every day?” “No! I just think I’m two steps nearer to my grave.”

Roger poured all of his remaining energy into the two cymbals perched in front of him, rolling them with all he had left in his exhausted body as he awaited Freddie’s cue to end the song. Freddie waved his gloved hand extravagantly into the air and swished his microphone stand, causing Roger to assault the cymbals one last time before silencing them with his hands. The room erupted into an applause that sounded like an explosion. With the biggest smirk on his face, he looked to his band mates as they waved enthusiastically to the crowd. Freddie thanked them, and they all walked off stage. Roger hurled his sticks into the crowd and turned to exit his place at the kit.

Beaming, he hardly noticed the dark figure standing at the curtain. He gave one last wave to the crowd. By the time he turned around to follow his bandmates off of the stage, she was gone.

“I’m showering first!” “You cheeky git, you don’t even technically live here!”

Freddie bolted into the bathroom and sternly shut the door. Brian shook his head and laughed. Roger slumped down onto the couch, his stick bag thrown onto the cushion beside him.

“That was the best gig yet”, Brian mused. “Hell yeah”, Roger replied. “I can’t believe how many people were there.” “Are we walking to the party?” Brian quipped, gently setting his guitar case on the hideous carpet. “Might as well. Is that opening act going to be there?” “Who, the Spiders?” Brian frowned. “Oh, is that their name? They were quite good.” Brian stopped on his way to his bedroom and stared at Roger. Roger stopped fidgeting with his ruffled shirt after a few seconds and looked up to see the guitarist leaned against the door jamb with his arms crossed, his eyebrows furrowed upward and a knowing grin on his face. “What?!” Roger sat forward, throwing his hands up. “You know exactly what, Rog”, Brian said through quiet chuckles. “…Shut up!” Roger began undoing the buttons on his shirt as he stood up, striding over to his bedroom to grab a towel. Freddie burst out of the bathroom wearing a ratty old towel loosely tied around his waist, a puff of steam following him. He posed extravagantly against the open door; Brian tried to hide his amusement behind a hand against his brow. He started towards the bathroom, but was stopped by a high-speed drummer on a b-line to the small, and now damp room, throwing his shirt to the side. “I’m next.” Roger pushed past Freddie, slamming the door behind him. Freddie frowned. Brian sighed.

They entered the pub to cheers and applause. Roger grinned and threw his arm around Freddie as a camera flash went off in their faces, temporarily blinding them. After greeting their contemporaries and posing for a few more pictures, Roger broke away from the crowd and headed towards the bar in the back of the room. He leaned against the bar, attempting to get the attention of the bartender, but was almost immediately distracted by the girl from the Spiders, who grinned and made her way towards him.

“Hey!” She smiled warmly at the drummer. “Hey,” Roger replied, intrigued. He glanced at her in the dim light; she had changed from her stage clothes into a tight pair of jeans, accented by velvet black platforms that laced up her calves, and a ruffly black top that flowed around her arms like smoke. Her hair was still a mess from her band’s set, but the way it accentuated her face was endearing. Noticing he was still staring and trying to hide it, he hurriedly nodded and smiled back. “Great set”, she said, trying to shout over the party going on behind her. “I’ve always loved your music.” “Cor, thanks”, he replied. “What’s your name?” “Our band name? We’re the Spiders”, she said, grinning proudly. “Oh no, I meant your name,” he said, grinning mischievously. “Ha! It’s Madeline”, she said. “Do you want a drink?” “Usually I’m the one who asks”, Roger said, feigning a shocked expression. “Oh, is that the case?” Madeline leaned towards Roger, a determined look in her eye. “I have a proposition for you. Last one to down a double shot buys the next round.” Roger eyed the brunette, then nodded sternly. “You have yourself a deal, Madeline.” After a few minutes Roger gained the attention of the bartender and ordered two doubles of vodka. Tossing a few quid onto the bar, he handed Madeline her double shot and clinked it against his own. “Cheers”, he said, with a boyish grin on his face. “Cheers”, she replied, with a knowing twinkle in her eye. She was the first to down the shot. She slammed it onto the bar top as Roger finished his own shot, a suspicious eye following her hand as she pushed her hair from her face. “Is this a joke?!” Roger said, half-jesting, as he set down his own shot glass next to hers. “There’s a reason I make that bet!” She threw her head back and laughed. Her dark hair gently following her movement to reveal her cleavage behind several delicate silver chains; Roger couldn’t help but stare, not only because of her previously eluded body being suddenly exposed to him, but also because of how beautiful she was when she was encompassed in laughter. Her laugh was like music to his ears. “Ah fine, next round is on me”, Roger said, obviously feigning disappointment. “What’re you drinking?” “Vodka tonic”, she said, grinning almost childishly. “Oi, barkeep”, Roger said, “two vodka tonics, please.” “Coming right up, Rog”, the bartender replied. “So your name is Roger then?” She extended a hand, her fingernails lacquered in black. “Nice to meet ya, Roger.” “Pleasure’s all mine”, he replied as he took her hand in his own and gently kissed the top. He may have been taken aback by her, but not enough to turn off the charm. She giggled again, and grabbed his own hand and kissed the top of it as well. ‘This is an odd one’, Roger thought, 'but I kinda like it.’ “So, Roger”, she started, taking the nearest bar seat, Roger following her lead. “Tell me. When did you start taking drums seriously? You’re quite good.” Roger toyed with the straw in his drink for a few seconds, thinking about the answer to her question. After a few seconds, he replied, “I must’ve been 20. I moved here with the intentions of getting a degree in dentistry, but realized I just couldn’t exist without a drumkit in front of me.” “Dentistry?! You?!” She grinned at him. “I seriously never would’ve guessed.” “Yeah,” he replied, “it’s really just an excuse to be, well, here.” “Well, it’s a good front,” she replied. “You’re too damn good to not spend your time hitting things with sticks.” Roger grinned. “What about Madeline?” “Eh, I came here to study psychology”, she said, the smile waning from her face. “It’s what my parents wanted.” Roger frowned, watching her expression change. “But what about what you want?” “I want this. I need music. Fronting the Spiders is all I ever wanted. Mum and dad want differently, though. They never went to college. I don’t blame them for wanting different for their child, considering the struggle they encountered trying to raise me and my kid brother while they worked menial jobs.” “I know what you mean”, Roger said, thinking of his own mother and sister at home. “You guys are good though. I caught the end of your set.” Roger looked straight into her dark eyes as she toyed with the long series of chains hanging from her neck. “I liked it.” She looked up and caught an eyeful of baby blues. He gave her a gentle smile, which made her heart flutter. 'What was this?’, she thought. Guys hardly ever caught her attention, especially since they were only after one thing. But this Roger guy… he was cute, and genuinely seemed to have an interest in what she had to say. She’d have to keep an eye out for this one. She smiled gingerly back at him, and glanced slightly behind his blonde halo to see her own band waving after her. “Ah, the band is waving me over. I’ll be right back, okay?” She abruptly stood up and walked past him. He turned around and watched as the drummer he’d seen before wrapped an arm around her, cheering as she joined the circle of people around her. After a while his own band did the same and he abandoned his post at the bar. He glanced around for her the remainder of the night, catching glimpses through the throng of people.

Hours later, the Queen boys were right tanked up, standing outside of the pub; they were each sucking down a cigarette as Brian stood next to them, slight disgust on his face, waving away as much smoke as possible. “Sh-should we get a taxi?” John said, hiccuping. “Dear, what kind of deranged taxi man is driving around at this hour? Besides, you can just crash on our floor”, Freddie replied. “Your floor?�� Brian said, half-chuckling. “Fred, once you start contributing rent, we can decide the owner of the floor.” “Are you the one that sleeps on it?” Freddie frowned at Brian. Turning to John, he said, “there’s plenty of room for the two of us.” “Thanks Freddie, but I’ve gotta get home to Vera”, John said, stumbling. “I b-better get walking now. Good gig guys, see you tomorrow.” John stumbled off into the night. Roger turned the cigarette butt over in his fingers before hurling it into the gutter. “Well, we better get g-” He halted his sentence as he saw Madeline burst out of the pub, followed by her own bandmates. She immediately spotted him and stumbled over. “Hiya Roger!” She tried to gain her composure as she noticed she was also in the company of two other members of Queen. “Oh wow, hey there. My name is Madeline. Great to meet you. Huge fan.” She extended a hand towards Freddie, who graciously took it and shook it gently. “Lovely to meet you as well dear. Great set tonight. Hard act to follow”, Freddie said, giving her a lavish bow. Roger frowned. “Brian, great to meet you Madeline”, Brian said, extending a thin hand to meet her own. “And a lovely guitar you have.” “Thank you so much”, she replied. “Although I have to say I admire yours as well.” Brian smiled warmly and turned to Freddie, extending an arm. “Shall we, Mr Mercury?” “I suppose,” Freddie said. “Meet you at the flat, Rog.” “Uh, alright,” Roger said after the pair, wondering why the hell they’d left him there to walk on his own. Madeline was left by herself as well as her own bandmates climbed into their beat up van, waving goodbyes after her. Roger stood awkwardly next to her as he watched her band drive off. Unsure of what to say, he faced her and stated the obvious. “Do you live near here?” “Yeah, just a few blocks from here”, she said, toying idly with a lock of hair. “And you?” “Same”, he said. “Would you like me to walk you home? I’d feel wrong letting a lady walk home by herself in this town”, he said, trying not to sound weird. She smiled sweetly. “Sure. Thanks, Roger.”

They started towards her flat, and Roger was trying desperately to think of something to fill the silence. “How long have you been playing guitar?” “Since I was about 15”, she replied. “Hey! That’s when I started drums”, he said excitedly, suddenly realizing exactly how much he’d had to drink. “You’re quite good”, he said, trying to reign himself in. “Thanks”, she said, “but I’m definitely no Brian.” “Not everyone has to be. What you add to your sound is great in its simplicity.” She smiled, stopping briefly. Roger stopped too, standing next to her, swaying gently. “Thank you Roger. Truly.” They looked into each other’s eyes. She felt that now-familiar feeling from the bar and shyly looked at the pavement. They walked a little while longer in silence, breaking it only to stop and ask the other what they thought of this band and that band. “What do you think of The Who?” “The Who?! Keith Moon is a fucking legend!” Roger waved his hands enthusiastically. “And Daltrey?!” “His stage presence is phenomenal”, she said, wonderment swirling in her eyes. “I wish I could be a tenth as good as him.” “You can”, Roger said. “You really can. I’ve seen you up there. You’ve got it.” “And you could be bigger than Keith Moon”, she replied, bumping her shoulder into his. “Me? Nah.” Roger laughed and shook his head.

They’d finally arrived to the stoop of her flat. She started up the stairs, turning and facing him as she opened the door. “Thanks for walking me home, Roger”, she said, gently smiling. “I’ll be seeing you, yeah?” “Yeah”, he replied. “See you.” He watched her shut the door behind her and turned to leave as he heard her boots pattering against the echoing hallway walls.

'Keith Moon…’, he thought to himself. 'Who even is this girl?’

–

#queen fanfiction #roger taylor fanfiction #comment or like please?#work in progress

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fmservers · 5 years

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Transportation Weekly: Didi woes, how Nuro met Softbank, Amazon’s appetite

Welcome back to Transportation Weekly; I’m your host Kirsten Korosec, senior transportation reporter at TechCrunch. This is the second edition and seriously people, what happened this week? Too much. Too much!

Never heard of TechCrunch’s Transportation Weekly? Catch up here. As I’ve written before, consider this a soft launch. Follow me on Twitter @kirstenkorosec to ensure you see it each week. (An email subscription is coming).

Off we go … vroom.

ONM …

There are OEMs in the automotive world. And here, (wait for it) there are ONMs — original news manufacturers. (Cymbal clash!) This is where investigative reporting, enterprise pieces and analysis on transportation lives.

This week, we’ve got some insider info on Didi, China’s largest ride-hailing firm. China-based TechCrunch reporter Rita Liao learned from sources that Didi plans to lay off 15 percent of its employees, or about 2,000 people this year. CEO Cheng Wei made the announcement during an internal meeting Friday morning.

Read about it here.

Didi’s troubles with regulators and its backlash from two high-profile passenger murders last year don’t exist in a vacuum. Their struggles are in line with what is happening in the ride-hailing industry, particularly in more mature markets where the novelty has worn off and cities have woken up.

For companies like Didi, Uber, Lyft and other emerging players, this means more resources (capital and people) spent working with cities as well as looking for ways to diversify their businesses. All the while, they must still plug away at the nagging problems of reducing costs and keeping drivers and riders.

Just look at Uber. As Megan Rose Dickey reports, Uber’s stiff losses continued in the fourth quarter. The upshot: Its losses can be attributed to increased competition and significant investment in bigger bets like micro mobility and Elevate. And apparently legal fees. Uber, The Verge reports, sued NYC on Friday to overturn a law that caps drivers.

Dig In

This week, TechCrunch editor Devin Coldewey digs into the development of a system that can estimate not just where a pedestrian is headed, but their pose and gait too.

The University of Michigan, well known for its efforts in self-driving car tech, has been working on an improved algorithm for predicting the movements of pedestrians.

These algorithms can be as simple as identifying a human and seeing how many pixels move over a few frames, then extrapolating from there. But naturally, human movement is a bit more complex than that. Few companies advertise the exact level of detail with which they resolve human shapes and movement. This level of granularity seems beyond what we’ve seen.

UM’s new system uses LiDar and stereo camera systems to estimate not just the trajectory of a person, but their pose and gait. Pose can indicate whether a person is looking towards or away from the car, or using a cane, or stooped over a phone; gait indicates speed and intention.

Is someone glancing over their shoulder? Maybe they’re going to turn around, or walk into traffic. This additional data helps a system predict motion and makes for a more complete set of navigation plans and contingencies.

Importantly, it performs well with only a handful of frames to work with — perhaps comprising a single step and swing of the arm. That’s enough to make a prediction that beats simpler models handily, a critical measure of performance as one cannot assume that a pedestrian will be visible for any more than a few frames between obstructions.

Not too much can be done with this noisy, little-studied data right now, but perceiving and cataloguing it is the first step to making it an integral part of an AV’s vision system.

— Devin Coldewey

A little bird …

We hear a lot. But we’re not selfish. Let’s share.

Every big funding round has an origin story — that magic moment when planets align and a capitally-flush investor gazes across a room at just the right time and spots the perfect company in need of funds and guidance.

One of this week’s biggest deals — see below — was the $940 million that Softbank Vision Fund invested in autonomous delivery robot Nuro. How (and when) Nuro met Softbank is almost as big a story as the funding round itself. OK, well maybe not AS BIG. But interesting, nonetheless.

It turns out that Cruise, the self-driving unit of GM, was in early talks with Nuro, but the parties couldn’t quite meet in the middle, people familiar with the deal told me. Sources wouldn’t elaborate whether Cruise was seeking to acquire Nuro or take a minority stake in the company.

It all worked out in the end, though. The folks at Cruise introduced Nuro to Softbank. That means Cruise and Nuro now share the same investor. Softbank agreed in May 2018 to invest $2.25 billion in GM Cruise Holdings LLC.

Got a tip or overheard something in the world of transportation? Email me or send a direct message to @kirstenkorosec.

Deal(s) of the week

We have a tie this week, which began with news that Softbank’s Vision Fund invested in autonomous delivery robot Nuro. The week closed with electric automaker Rivian announcing a $700 million funding round led by Amazon.

First Nuro. Michael Ronen, managing partner at SoftBank Investment Advisers, and the same person who was a big part of its investment in Cruise, told TechCrunch that the winners in this market will need to address a diverse mix of technological questions. In his view, that’s Nuro.

“Nuro has built a team of brilliant problem solvers whose combined backgrounds in robotics, machine learning, autonomous driving and consumer electronics give them a compelling advantage,” Ronen said.

Amazon’s investment in Rivian is important, particularly when you step back and take a more holistic and historic view. Consider this: The logistics giant stealthily acquired an urban delivery robot startup called Dispatch in 2017 (a discovery Mark Harris made and reported for us last week). Amazon showed off the fruit of that acquisition — its own delivery robot Scout — in January 2018.

Last week, self-driving vehicle startup Aurora raised more than $530 million in a Series B funding round led by Sequoia and with “significant” investments from Amazon and T. Rowe Price. Now, Amazon is backing Rivian.

Based on the deals that we know about, Amazon’s hands are now deep into autonomous delivery, self-driving vehicle software and electric vehicles. Let that sink in.

Other deals that got our attention this week:

Autonomous truck startup TuSimple hits unicorn status in latest round

AV shuttle company May Mobility raises $22 million: We talked to May’s Alisyn Malek (watch for this)

C2A raises $6.2 million for its in-car cybersecurity platform

Audio tech supplier to Rolls Royce and Xiaomi secures another $13.2 million

BeliMobilGue raises $10M for its used-car sales platform in Indonesia

WiTricity acquired some IP assets from Qualcomm that gives the company more than 1,500 patents and patent applications related to wireless charging. Qualcomm Inc. is now a minority WiTricity shareholder.

Snapshot

Sure, TechCrunch focuses on startups. Why auto loans? Because auto loan data can be one of the canaries in the coal mine that is the automotive industry and on a larger scale, the economy. And, delinquency rates ripple through the rest of the transportation world, affecting public transit and ride-hailing too.

The New York Federal Reserve this week released a collection of economic data, including auto loans, which have been climbing since 2011. Auto loans increased by $9 billion this year, a figure boosted by historically strong levels of newly originated loans that will put 2018 in the record books. There were $584 billion in new auto loans and leases appearing on credit reports in 2018, the highest level in the 19-year history of the loan origination data.

Why I’m watching this? Because according to the Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit:

The flow into 90+ day delinquency for auto loan balances has been slowly trending upward since 2012

Serious delinquency of auto loans held by borrowers under 30 years old between 2014 and 2016 rose (see chart)

Rising overall delinquency rates remain below 2010 peak levels. However, there were more than 7 million Americans with auto loans that were 90 or more days delinquent at the end of 2018

Tiny but mighty micro mobility

It was a bit quiet on the micro-mobility front this week, but here’s what jumped out. Unsurprisingly, San Francisco denied Lime’s appeal to operate electric scooters in the city. This is the same decision the city landed on pertaining to both Uber’s Jump and Ford’s Spin appeals. On the bright side for these companies, there may be hope for them to deploy scooters during phase two of the city’s pilot program, which starts in April.

Also in the SF Bay Area, Lyft donated $700,000 to TransForm, an organization focused on improving access to transportation in underserved areas throughout California. In partnership with Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf, Lyft and TransForm will invest in a free bike library and community “parklets” in Oakland, Calif.

Meanwhile, over in Tel Aviv, Lime deployed its electric scooters, joining electric scooter startup Bird. Lime also reportedly plans to deploy its scooters throughout the country of Israel. Next up will be cities in the Gush Dan region.

In case you thought e-scooters were a new thing, here's a lady riding one in 1916. Timing is everything.https://t.co/bb6NtmThTC pic.twitter.com/UyzIKapbk3

— David E. Weekly (@dweekly) February 15, 2019

Also in micro mobility …

We read corporate updates to terms of service in our spare time. And this week, Skip sent out an update that included an interesting nugget. It reads:

We’ve updated specific provisions on camera footage. We’ve updated and made more clear that our scooters may be equipped with video camera equipment which we may use to help ensure that our scooters are used properly and in accordance with laws, rules, regulations and policies, to protect against crimes such as theft and vandalism, to help us determine if scooters are being used properly at speeds, locations and on surfaces that are proper and allowed as well as to improve our Services.

In December, Skip unveiled two new scooters — one with a rear-facing camera. The company tested 200 of these scooter in Washington, D.C. (and later rolled out to San Francisco) to monitor whether people were riding on the sidewalk and generally riding safely. At the time, Skip said it wasn’t sure what it would do with the data collected from the cameras.

In other words, Skip’s cameras are on. How they intend to use that data — whether via a warning to the rider, a message after the ride is complete, or remotely slowing the scooter down, isn’t clear.

One startup that is poised to capture this new market of scooter accountability is Fantasmo. The augmented reality mapping startup has a new scooter positioning camera that captures video and then matches that against a map to reliably identify how the scooter is being used. Fantasmo’s camera system is not being used by Skip.

Notable reads

If you’re waiting for the big autonomous vehicle disengagement hot take story from me, you’ll be waiting for awhile. Let me explain.

This week, the California Department of Motor Vehicles released the “disengagement reports” of autonomous vehicle companies with permits to test on public roads in the state. These reports are meant to track each time a self-driving vehicle disengages out of autonomous mode. There are 48 companies that issued reports, which when you combine all the data, drove more than 2 million miles on public roads in autonomous mode between December 2017 and November 2018. That’s a four-fold increase from the year before.

Companies that receive AV testing permits in California, which are issued by the DMV, are required to submit these annually. It’s not that these reports are worthless. They are useful to determine if a company is ramping up its testing on public roads, adding more AVs to its fleet, helpful for spotting trends like ‘why did disengagements suddenly end?’ or to determine if a company is even testing anymore.

And I’ve discovered some interesting information that will become bigger stories or end up as footnotes in the world of AVs. (For instance, Faraday Future says it will begin testing on public roads late this year).

But disengagement reports are not a meaningful way to make comparisons on how companies stack up against each other. Why? Because it’s not an “apples-to-apples” comparison for one, companies report the data in different ways and there is no transparency into the specifics of when and where each disengagement occurred.

Another problem is the miles-per-disengagement figure that we (the media) typically focus on. This data isn’t super useful on its own. This shouldn’t be treated like a report card. As one engineer told me once, you learn only from occasions in which the system does, or wants to do, something different from a good human. The smart AV companies will take the disengagement data and combine it with other information taken from simulation and other forms of offline testing.

The “miles per disengagement” data point doesn’t start to mean anything on its own until a company reaches the validation phase, which is when miles driven are the truest representation of naturalistic driving in the domain and application of interest. How many are at this point? I’m hearing one or two.

Testing and deployments

youtube

Much of the talk and marketing materials around flying cars, or eVTOLs, focuses on well-dressed business folks standing on top of skyscrapers, preparing to be whisked away — up and over the terrible traffic below. Other startups have focused on last-mile delivery. But what about long-distance cargo delivery to remote and urban areas?

Elroy Air is one company that is working on this problem. The San Francisco-based startup has been developing an autonomous vertical takeoff and landing cargo transport system that can operate outside of airport infrastructure and carry up to 500 pounds of cargo over 300 miles. Elroy Air just closed a $9.2 million round that included investors Catapult Ventures, Levitate Capital, Lemnos, Precursor Ventures, Haystack, Shasta Ventures, Homebrew, 122West, Amplify Partners, Hemisphere Ventures, the E14 Fund and DiamondStream Partners.

The company said this week it will begin testing its unmanned vertical-takeoff-and-landing drone for commercial deliveries — called the Chaparral — this year and launch a commercial shipping service in 2020.

These vehicles will be monitored by trained operators at all times during the testing phase, the company said.

On our radar

Let’s not forget that people are using buses and trains everyday. Not in a year. Not in 10. Right now. These transit systems, many of which need expensive upgrades, carry millions of people every day. One of the more interesting examples of the challenges with transit is the L train shutdown in New York.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority needs to repair a subway tunnel under the East River and initially had planned to shut down the entire tunnel for 15 months, starting in late April. The L train carries 275,000 people between Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn and Eighth Avenue in Manhattan, the effected section, every day.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo intervened and now there’s a new plan, which involves running trains through one tunnel tube while repairs are carried out in the other tube. The NYT has the back story.

There’s an upcoming “L Train Shutdown” event this month in Brooklyn that we’re keeping an eye on. URBAN-X, the startup accelerator backed by automotive brand MINI, is hosting a discussion on the future of the L-train and alternative modes of transport. Some interesting folks will be participating, including Lime’s chief program officer Scott Kubly. The event will be held 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, Feb. 19 at A/D/O, 29 Norman Ave, Brooklyn, NY.

Thanks for reading. There might be content you like or something you hate. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected] to share those thoughts, opinions or tips.

Nos vemos la próxima vez.

Via Kirsten Korosec https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

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thedrumheads · 7 years

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Wicked! #Repost @spinbal ・・・ The making of: Rolls Royce jet engine-inspired blue-fume cymbal patina. I experimented with so many methods! Too bad this method destroys tone entirely; not to worry! They're still beautiful art pieces! More cymbal art and cymbal spinning stories at www.spinbal.com (link in bio). Big news soon about PATINAS! Who wants to have a #patinaparty with this #crazy #drummer ? I #spin #cymbals , make #kinetic #patina #art for the love of #designs and #music ! #cymbalporn #drumporn #blue #metal #science for #drum #love #drums #drummer #drumheadspod

#spin #music #designs #drum #blue #drumheadspod #metal #drumporn #science #cymbals #kinetic #patina #love #patinaparty #drums #repost #drummer #crazy #art #cymbalporn

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cringeynews · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on CringeyNews

New Post has been published on http://cringeynews.com/offbeat-news/damn-interesting/10-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-lightsaber/

10 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Lightsaber

When we hear the word lightsaber, its inimitable sound automatically comes to mind. By just hearing its humming and swooshing sound, we can already imagine wielding one and fighting off the Dark Force. The legendary lightsaber is one of the most precious items a Star Wars ultimate fan wants to possess.

This fictional energy sword is more than just a colourful blade. There are fun and amazing facts that a sworn Star Wars addict needs to know.

Get to know more about the infamous lightsaber. And may The Force be with you.

Using the Force, a Jedi can predict and deflect incoming blaster bolts, and reflect them. ©Starwars.com/databank/lightsaber.

1. They Were Originally Called Laser Swords.

Seems least interesting, that’s probably why George Lucas – the original chairman of Lucasfilm changed the name to lightsaber in later drafts of the movie.

2. Roger Christian Designed The Lightsaber.

The Academy Award winner was also the amazing designer of R2-D2, the iconic robot admired worldwide, and the Star Wars trilogy sets. Christian later became a film-maker himself, directing Battlefield Earth.

3. Lightsabers Were Supposedly Ordinary White-Bladed Weapons.

George Lucas originally imagined that lightsabers were ordinary white-bladed weapons carried by many characters in the film, including the Stormtroopers. Eventually, he decided to make them coloured blades as a signature weapon only carried by the Jedi Order and the Sith for a more mystical image of the characters.

4. The Hilts (Handles) Of The Prop Lightsabers Were Made From Antique Camera Flash Handles.

John Stears constructed the film prop hilts. He used old press camera flash battery packs and other hardware. Luke’s was Graflex Flash Gun, while Darth Vader’s was an MPP microflash. Obi-Wan’s hilt was made from a Rolls-Royce Derwent Mk.8 jet engine balance pipe. Christian found the flash handles in a box of junked items in a photography store.

5. That Unique Sound Of The Lightsaber Was Discovered By Accident.

Ben Burt, the sound engineer who created all the sounds for Star Wars, developed the unique sound of the lightsaber. The sound was accidentally discovered while he was looking for a buzzing, sparking sound to add to the projector-motor hum. It was later developed from the hum of interlocked motors in old cinema projectors and old tube television when he placed his microphone near it.

The pitch changes of lightsaber movement were produced by playing the basic lightsaber tone on a loudspeaker and recording it on a moving microphone, generating Doppler shift to mimic a moving sound source. The Doppler effect (or the Doppler shift) is the change in frequency of a wave (or other periodic event). The Ignition sound was a combination of hitting a taut metal wire (almost like a percussion instrument/cymbal) and gas running through a valve, the deactivation was a reversal of that same recorded sound, and both were heavily synthesized and modulated.

6. In Jedi Lore, The Lightsaber’s Colour Depends On The Crystal That Focuses The Energy.

In the story, a Jedi or a Sith must assemble their own lightsaber by hand as part of their training process. It is partly electronic but must incorporate natural crystals that cannot be made artificially. Each lightsaber is unique to its maker.

A Synthetic lightsaber crystal, commonly referred to as a Synth-crystal, is a type of lightsaber crystal that is artificially created, rather than naturally formed by geological processes. Due to the methods used in their creation, they often formed with a red coloration, though they could be made with any color through special manipulations of either the creation process or the crystal itself, often through the Force, such as the green synth-crystal powering Luke Skywalker’s second lightsaber.

7. Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber Was Originally Blue.

It was only changed to green during a fight scene at Sarlaac in Episode VI where Luke’s lightsaber got lost in the blue sky-background.

8. Lightsaber Cost.

The total production cost for one lightsaber for the first Star Wars movie was just £9.

9. The Actual Lightsabers Used On Set Had A Wooden Pole Where The ‘Blade’ Would Be.

Christian managed to hand-make the first prototype of a lightsaber prop for Luke before production began. Then, John Stears created the wooden dowel rod with front-projection paint so that the animators would have a glow of light to enhance later on in post production.

10. Scientists Have Been Trying To Recreate The Lightsaber In Real Life.

Yes, the moment when you can handle a real lightsaber is drawing near. With the rapid advancements in technology, it may not be impossible to recreate the lightsaber in real life. As of now, scientists are still struggling to find the right technology to make every Star Wars fan ecstatic. According to Matt Gluesenkamp, an engineer at General Electric, the most plausible technology would be super-hot plasma. However, there is no power source available yet that is strong and small enough to fit in the handle. Scientists at Harvard actually managed to create a way to bind photons together which gives them mass and may one day recreate a similar Star Wars effect. Cross those fingers and hope that talented scientists may one day reach success in this endeavour.

The post 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Lightsaber appeared first on Todays Interesting Facts.

http://todaysinterestingfacts.com/10-facts-didnt-know-lightsaber/

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cringeynews · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on CringeyNews

New Post has been published on http://cringeynews.com/offbeat-news/damn-interesting/10-facts-you-didnt-know-about-the-lightsaber/

10 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Lightsaber

This fictional energy sword is more than just a colourful blade. There are fun and amazing facts that a sworn Star Wars addict needs to know.

Get to know more about the infamous lightsaber. And may The Force be with you.

Using the Force, a Jedi can predict and deflect incoming blaster bolts, and reflect them. ©Starwars.com/databank/lightsaber.

1. They Were Originally Called Laser Swords.

Seems least interesting, that’s probably why George Lucas – the original chairman of Lucasfilm changed the name to lightsaber in later drafts of the movie.

2. Roger Christian Designed The Lightsaber.

3. Lightsabers Were Supposedly Ordinary White-Bladed Weapons.

4. The Hilts (Handles) Of The Prop Lightsabers Were Made From Antique Camera Flash Handles.

5. That Unique Sound Of The Lightsaber Was Discovered By Accident.

6. In Jedi Lore, The Lightsaber’s Colour Depends On The Crystal That Focuses The Energy.

7. Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber Was Originally Blue.

It was only changed to green during a fight scene at Sarlaac in Episode VI where Luke’s lightsaber got lost in the blue sky-background.

8. Lightsaber Cost.

The total production cost for one lightsaber for the first Star Wars movie was just £9.

9. The Actual Lightsabers Used On Set Had A Wooden Pole Where The ‘Blade’ Would Be.

10. Scientists Have Been Trying To Recreate The Lightsaber In Real Life.

The post 10 Facts You Didn’t Know About The Lightsaber appeared first on Todays Interesting Facts.

Via

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