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megalony · 5 years

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Safe with me

A Roger x Ben x reader imagine that I came up with that I hope everyone will like.

Enjoy.

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Glancing his eyes up from (Y/n)'s hand which he was holding to his lips Roger felt a rush of adrenaline coursing through his stomach and chest in relief when Ben barrelled through the door. The actor stumbling on the polished floor almost falling onto the bed in his haste to get to his partners. Trying to gain back the air that had been stolen from his lungs Ben hurried over to sit on the edge of the hospital bed (Y/n) was laid on, his heart pounding out of his chest as he took in the state of the pair in front of him. Roger was sitting on the chair on (Y/n)'s right, his body hunched over as his leg jittered up and down causing his knee to occasionally bash into the side of the bed. His hands wrapped around (Y/n)'s that had previously been pressed to his lips before he lowered their hands to rest on the side of the bed. Turning his attention to their girlfriend Ben felt his heart picking up speed. Her head was lowered so she wasn't looking at either of them but Ben could still see her biting her bottom lip looking like she was in some kind of pain. Her other hand pressing to her stomach making him afraid of what was happening with their child. "What's happened?" Ben breathed through the words as his eyes flitted between his partners, waiting for one of them to tell him why they were here and what had led to this. The only thing Ben knew was that when Roger had called him the drummer had been very panicked which wasn't something that Ben was used to. The drummer saying something about (Y/n) having bad pains which worried him so he was bringing her in and needed the actor to be there. "There was some bleeding... and the doctor thinks the pains are contractions." Roger spoke up when (Y/n) continued to stare at her lap clearly not wanting to say anything. Watching how his words sent a wave of distress rushing through his boyfriend who seemed to turn pale. Ben didn't see how she could be having contractions now of all times, they were only seven and a half months gone, this was way too early for this to be happening. "But it's too early." "She's not in labour, her water hasn't broken which is good." Roger's words did enough to calm down Ben's rapid heartbeat as he nodded. Roger had nearly fainted when the doctor said that the pains were contractions, especially since they were rather consistent. But since (Y/n)'s waters hadn't broken it lowered the chance of labour happening now, so the doctors were concerning themselves with finding the cause of the bleeding. A groan escaped (Y/n)'s lips as her eyes snapped closed, her hand tugging on Roger's as another contraction suddenly hit her. Feeling Roger's hand rubbing up and down her arm as his other stayed holding hers to his lips. Her eyes opening to look at Ben when his hand rested over her own that was pushing against her stomach as if that would make the contractions stop. Sadness and concern floating around in his emerald orbs as he reached out to brush away the few tears beginning to fall from her eyes. (Y/n) leaned into the touch as a shuddering breath left her lips at the feeling of her muscles losing the tension they held seconds ago, the contraction disappearing. All three of them turning their attention to the door when a nurse walked in, a calming smile on her face to try and relieve the tension in the atmosphere. "Alright then, we're going to do a scan to see where the bleedings coming from, and then work out what to do next." Roger was sincerely hoping that since the bleeding had stopped and hadn't been that vast, nothing would be wrong or anything needing to happen. Maybe if the bleeding wasn't anything worrying they could wait a few hours just to make sure everything was alright and then be able to go back home. Getting to his feet Ben pressed a chaste kiss to (Y/n)'s forehead before rounding the other side of the bed to stand beside Roger so he was out of the way of the nurse. His hand resting on Roger's shoulder, watching as (Y/n) finally lifted her head to look at the nurse, her hand moving from her stomach to pinch her lip out of worry. It didn't matter that the contractions were gone because they could still come back, and they didn't know what had caused this which was sending waves of fear rushing through her system. All three of them kept their eyes locked on the monitor when the image showed their little girl. Allowing the three parents to hear her heartbeat which was music to all of their ears. Turning her head away from the monitor (Y/n) locked eyes with her boys, fear very much evident in her eyes from the expression on the nurse's face she knew they hadn't missed either. Pulling her hand closer Roger entwined their fingers together as he tried to keep his expression calm and neutral, not wanting to make her even more worried when it could still be nothing serious. "I just need to check something." The nurse's tone was rather careful as if she didn't want to worry them but then again didn't want to give the impression that everything was fine. Switching off the monitor she turned and held out some paper towels for (Y/n) to clean the gel from her stomach, a small tight-lipped smile on her face that was not very reassuring. Ben's foot began to tap rapidly against the floor the same as Roger's leg was hitting against the frame of the bed. Panic settling into his system as he watched the nurse press the palms of her hands to various areas of (Y/n)'s stomach as if she was searching for something. Stopping when (Y/n) inhaled a sharp breath, shuddering as a small whimper of pain left her lips causing the nurse to pull back. Her expression turning neutral as she seemed to find what she had been searching for. Ben could see in her eyes that she knew what was wrong and that the answer wasn't one that they were going to like. "What's wrong?" Ben questioned slowly, his voice lower than it usually was as he could just tell this wasn't going to be good. Just as the nurse was about to respond she cut herself short as another contraction hit (Y/n). No one saying anything as they waited in deafening silence for the contraction to disappear and for (Y/n) to nod that she was alright before daring to continue the conversation. "I'm afraid you have what we call placental abruption, which is where the placenta moves away from the wall of the womb. For now, the baby isn't distressed and there are no signs anything is wrong so I suggest we sit tight and see if the contractions stop. The abruption isn't drastic which is a good sign." Straightening up in the chair Roger gave a small nod to (Y/n) that this was good news considering what the problem was. Roger knew this could cause premature labour and he knew it was dangerous for the baby, so to know that it was rather minor and not too worrying at this stage calmed him down. "Is that it, just wait?" Ben thought they would do something, give (Y/n) some kind of medication to stop the contractions and see if they could help or repair what was wrong. Waiting seemed pointless as if they were just waiting for something to go wrong. "For now, yes. The contractions will either stop, which is what we want or they will lead to the waters breaking which is what we don't want. If the waters break or anything such as the placenta moving or the baby getting distressed happens then I'm afraid we will have to induce premature labour."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Holding his hands out Ben waited for (Y/n) to grasp his hands before gently easing her from the bed to her feet. Roger's hands holding her waist for added precaution, leaning on the bed so he could help get her to her feet. They had been playing the waiting game for about three hours now and all three of them were beginning to grow restless. Both Roger and Ben had nipped out for a cigarette break every now and then, taking in turns so one of them was always with (Y/n) just in case. All three of them were beginning to get worried since the contractions hadn't gone yet and were still moderately frequent which they knew wasn't a good sign. (Y/n) was beginning to go stiff laying on the bed with Roger who had swapped places with Ben who took to sitting in the chair. She needed to get up and walk just a little to stop her muscles seizing up and get the feeling back in her legs. She was hoping it would pass some of the time quicker by traipsing around the room rather than sitting and staring at the walls, starting small conversations here and there between contractions. Straightening up (Y/n) winced at feeling her spine clicking back into place, Ben's arm winding around her waist as they started slowly walking to the other side of the bed. Turning around and having a slow but steady walk around the room. "You're making me dizzy." Roger joked, his eyes following them around the room as he leaned up against the pillows, a small smile on his face as he gazed at his partners. "You could get up and join us, your highness." Ben responded with a raised eyebrow, watching Roger simply rest his hands behind his head as he continued to watch them pace slowly around the room. He was too tired to bother getting up and pacing around, he'd much rather sit and talk than get up and move about the small space the room allowed them. Ben quickly tightened his arm around (Y/n)'s middle when her hand reached out to grasp the end of the bed. Her movements stopping as she doubled over at feeling another contraction wash through her. A sudden cry left (Y/n)'s lips as her body began to shake when a sudden feeling swept through her lower stomach. Her eyes locking onto the water cascading down her legs and pooling on the floor at their feet. This couldn't be happening now. They had another month and a half to go, a month in the least before labour would be safe to happen. This meant that labour was bound to happen since things were progressing quickly which was exactly what they had been praying not to happen. "Oh fuck- Rog we need the nurse!" Ben's voice was almost a whine when his eyes set on what was scaring the flesh from (Y/n)'s bones. Shivers running up his spine as he wrapped both arms around her to stop her from falling when her knees buckled beneath her. He didn't understand why this was happening now. Nothing had gone wrong up until this point in the pregnancy, everything had been going fine and smoothly since they found out the news that made them all over the moon. The three of them had been so excited at the prospect of being parents and now that was being jeopardised. Leaning over Roger was quick to press the emergency button at the side of the bed before he scrambled to kneel at the end of the bed, looking over at the pair to see what was scaring them both like this. His face falling completely when he locked his gaze onto the floor before looking back up at them. Hopping off the bed Roger gently took (Y/n)'s right arm and held her waist, gently tugging her so she would sit back down on the bed. Her head shook desperately before pressing into his chest as he and Ben guided her back to the bed. Easing her down before sitting on either side of her Roger's arm going around her shoulders as Ben held her hand tightly in his own. "Sweetheart this may not mean you're in labour." Roger hushed, his lips pressing to the top of her head as he tried to calm her down but his words didn't do very much to soothe her. It was true that this might not mean labour was happening or definitely going to happen but considering (Y/n) had and was still having contractions it wasn't looking very good. "Okay, what's wrong dears?" The nurse they knew to be called Jane questioned, hurrying into the room and closing the door behind her. "Her water broke." Ben responded, his eyes pleading for her to do something to help them. Shuffling over so he was sitting nearer to (Y/n)'s feet so Jane could stand at (Y/n)'s side to help and examine her. "Can you make it stop?" (Y/n) questioned, her voice pleading for Jane to agree and say that she could give her an injection to slow down and try to stop labour from happening. They needed to wait, it couldn't happen now because it was too early and it wasn't fair. Her question was answered when Jane's expression fell, a sad look in her eyes that told them it simply wasn't possible to try and slow down the process that was already taking place. "The placenta's moved again dear, trying to prolong labour isn't possible it will endanger both of you. I'm going to give you an injection now and then one when she's almost born that will prepare her lungs to breathe." Throwing her head back onto Roger's shoulder (Y/n) couldn't stop the tears from flushing her face, a sob leaving her lips as Jane left to get the injection and call for a doctor and midwife. Turning her head so she was looking at Roger she stared at him in such a desperate way that made Roger feel like he was crumbling on the inside. There was nothing he nor Ben could do to try and prolong this no matter how desperate they were to do so. They couldn't stop their girl from being born now and deep down the drummer knew it was safer this way than to try and wait which could lead to complications or even stillbirth. "I can't." (Y/n) whispered, looking to Ben when his hand grabbed her own as he moved up to sit by her side again. She didn't know what exactly she was pleading with them both for. They didn't hold the power to do anything to stop this, they could only help by being supportive and giving love. But (Y/n) felt useless, she was meant to be the one to protect their baby but it felt she was evicting her way too early than she should. She didn't want to go through with this, they should all be at home and their girl should be safe. "Yes you can sweetheart, our girl wants to meet us." "I don't want to." A choked cry followed her words as her hand pressed to her stomach when a gut-wrenching pain shot through her lower stomach causing her to double over. Roger's head perching on her shoulder so he could kiss her neck as Ben gently rubbed her back letting her come close to breaking his hand with the pressure she applied. "I know darlin' but she'll be safer and looked after when she's born-" "She's safe with me!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Resting his chin on Roger's shoulder, Ben wrapped his arms around the drummer's middle holding his back to his chest as the pair of them gazed down at the dazzling sight in front of them. Neither being able to take their gaze away from the tiny baby resting in the incubator in front of them. Noting the many different wires wrapping around her tiny fragile frame, some sticking to her chest to check her heartbeat. Others allowing fluids to flow through her veins and one going to her stomach for when they would give her supplements and small amounts of food. Roger couldn't believe how tiny she was, looking like a miniature china doll made of glass sitting in the incubator instead of their baby girl. Both men had decided they would go down to the ICU ward that was just down the hall to check on their girl after sitting with (Y/n) and calming her down for a while. They had been told she was small but breathing, now on a ventilator to help with her breathing since her lungs were still under-developed. (Y/n) was going to come down and stay with their girl for a while when she had recovered and felt better, but the boys couldn't bear the thought of her being here alone and so had to come down for a little while. Finally managing to tear his gaze away from their little miracle Ben leaned his head into the crook of Roger's neck. Pressing a light kiss to his neck as he felt the rush of emotions finally beginning to calm down and level out. "She's perfect."

#ben hardy #ben hardy imagine #ben x reader #roger taylor #roger taylor imagine #roger x reader #roger x ben x reader #imagine

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starwarsnonsense · 5 years

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Top 10 Films of 2018

This is rather delayed (mainly on account of an extended bout of laziness on my part), but I was still determined to get it out there! While I don’t think 2018 quite reached the heights of 2017 (nothing matched The Last Jedi or Blade Runner 2049, for example), there was still a lot of great cinema.

As always, keeping this list at 10 meant I had to omit some great titles. Just so you get an idea of what I had to leave out, here are some honourable mentions: Eighth Grade, Lady Bird, Revenge, Phantom Thread, Thoroughbreds, Lean on Pete and Game Night.

1. Roma, dir. Alfonso Cuarón

Roma is a deeply special film, and I’m very fortunate in having got to see it in the best possible circumstances - projected on a huge cinema screen, with its gorgeous, silvery cinematography a marvel to witness. This film takes the kind of life that would usually be forgotten and turns it into an epic, interweaving the story of a loving, resilient housemaid with the seismic political events unfolding in Mexico in the early 1970s. The shots are highly symmetrical and geometric, with characters passing in and out of pre-established frames. But this is clearly intentional, and - to me at least - the story felt no less personal for it. There are several all-time great scenes in this film, and while I don’t want to spoil any of them with extended descriptions, I will say that there’s a sequence in a hospital that balances the mundane and the monumental in an extraordinary and heartbreaking way. This is breathtaking, masterful filming, and I felt it did justice to Cleo’s life without ever attempting to claim her experience. The film is quiet and the dialogue is almost perfunctory, relying heavily on its visuals - it’s cinema at its purest.

2. Annihilation, dir. Alex Garland

True story: I was so desperate to see Annihilation in a cinema that I flew to New York for it. Of course Annihilation wasn’t my sole reason for travelling to New York, but you can be damn sure I made a point of tracking down an Alamo Drafthouse that was showing it. And boy was it worth it. This movie does a magnificent job of fulfilling the potential of sci-fi, taking otherworldly concepts and ideas and using them to interrogate some of the most profound and frightening truths of what it means to be human. This movie has a quietly hypnotic quality to it, and Natalie Portman continues to prove that she is one of the finest modern actors - she says so much with her face and her movements that lines are hardly necessary. I will continue to follow Alex Garland’s career with great interest...

3. Beast, dir. Michael Pearce

Beast was probably my biggest surprise in film in 2018 - I went in expecting nothing, and was bowled over by it to the point that I rushed out to see it again at the first opportunity. This film follows lonely outsider Moll and her ardent love for the mysterious Pascal. There is a heightened, almost supernatural, quality to their romance, and the actors - Jessie Buckley and Johnny Flynn - have electric chemistry. This film delights in playing with the viewer’s fears and suspicions, constantly adjusting them as the characters evolve over the course of the movie. It’s a great fusion of genres - mystery and romance - that also functions as a superb character piece, and it is entirely worth your time.

4. Bad Times at the El Royale, dir. Drew Goddard

This film is bonkers in an amazing way. A bunch of seemingly random strangers gather at a hotel that’s far from its glory days, and it isn’t long before all hell breaks lose. The ensemble here is terrific, with all the cast members playing off each other in a succession of utterly delightful ways. Every character conceals a secret history and motive, with their layers gradually being peeled back as the movie plays out. Special mention must go to Cynthia Erivo, who is simply stupendous as a session singer who I wound up considering the film’s real hero - she’s marvellously charismatic and complex, and her voice is a complete wonder. This film is a messy tangle of mysteries, and I had a wonderful time unravelling them.

5. First Reformed, dir. Paul Schrader

I have a weird soft spot for ‘crisis of faith’ movies (think Silence), and this is a very fine entry into that niche. Ethan Hawke is superb here as a priest attending to an old church that has effectively been reduced to a chintzy tourist attraction, and I found the depiction of how he struggles with his faith, overwhelmed by disillusionment and the immense crises facing the earth, fascinating and beautifully written. Schrader wrote and directed this film, and it is one of his greatest achievements - the dialogue probes deep, never feeling trite or obvious. I also appreciated how the spiritual was so often conflated with the personal, with a thin line drawn being drawn between the divine and the carnal (that end scene is a woozy thing to experience). It’s a beautifully judged film, made all the more fascinating for its ambiguity.

6. Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, dir. Morgan Neville

The greatest testament to the power of this wonderful, good-hearted documentary is probably that I went into it knowing practically nothing about Mr Rodgers (he just wasn’t a thing here in the UK) and left it thinking he’s the hero the world needs right now. I’ve seen so many documentaries illuminating the ugliest parts of humanity that I didn’t realise how much I needed one spotlighting the best bits. But this documentary isn’t pure sentiment, though there’s a lot of that - I found a lot to admire in Mr Rodgers approach to child psychology and education, particularly his conviction that every child can benefit from a warm, steady presence, even of the source of the reassurance happens to be trapped in a TV monitor. I can only hope this inspires a fresh wave of documentaries on similarly worthy subjects.

7. The Wife, dir. Björn Runge

Glenn Close is coming for that Best Actress Oscar and no one can convince me otherwise. With The Wife, the whole movie transparently rests on the shoulders of one woman - Close’s performance is almost sphinx-like, being enigmatic and low-key to the point that her emotions are almost invisible. But their failure to manifest doesn’t mean they don’t exist, and that is perhaps the point of the whole movie. Joan Castleman might seem like the ideal wife of a great author, but she is revealed to be far more than that - a singular individual with dreams, passions, ambitions and regrets. Glenn Close makes the gradual reveal of each facet magnetic, to the point that the slightest twinges of her facial muscles become potent symbols.

8. Blindspotting, dir. Carlos López Estrada

This is an urgent, gripping movie that tackles some of the biggest issues there are. Collin and Miles are friends, but this film sees their friendship challenged, the dynamics underlying it interrogated. I’ve seen movies described as “empathy machines” before, and Blindspotting is a great example of that. It sucks you into the day-to-day experience of living Collin’s life, whether he’s getting a window into the hang-ups of the people whose belongings he is moving (he drives a moving truck) or just chilling out with his friends. Alongside this, it also portrays how terrifying it is to live as a black man in America, how vanishingly little value appears to be placed on your life by those in authority. There’s a rap scene at the film’s climax that consolidates all of Collin’s rage and hurt, and it truly packs a punch.

9. American Animals, dir. Bart Layton

This film portrays a very different side to young American manhood from Blindspotting. Instead of living from day to day, the protagonists of this film start out with pretty much everything they could need - stability, support and good prospects. They choose to unsettle their existence by staging an outrageous heist, clearly dreaming of becoming legends and injecting excitement into their comfortable lives. American Animals does a fantastic job of pulling their plan apart, and since it was based on a true story director Bart Layton does something quite ingenious - he combines real interviews with re-enactments, the filmed scenes being switched out and adjusted according to the conflicting testimonies. In this way, American Animals becomes much more then a depiction of entitled young men seeking to mythologise themselves - it also functions as an interrogation of truth, and the myriad deceptive qualities of cinema.

10. Mission Impossible: Fallout, dir. Christopher McQuarrie

I have no idea how this franchise keeps on stepping up its game, but it does. It reminds me of how the James Bond films ended up taking Bond to space. I can see MI doing that at this point, except we all know that Tom Cruise would actually fly into space for it. With that prelude out of the way, I just need to stress what a fantastic action movie this is. The set-pieces here are marvellously staged, and their execution made them absolutely gripping - I was anxious over every punch, flinching at every cracked bone. McQuarrie is a true master of tension and suspense, and the movie was simply a magnificent ride. I was lucky enough to see this in IMAX with @bastila-bae, and the mere thought of people watching this on smartphones fills me with the rare kind of sorrow known only to shameless film snobs.

Look out for highlights from 2019 - coming up in a few months!

#roma #film #cinema #movie #movies #film in 2018 #review of 2018 #annihilation #beast #first reformed #blindspotting #mission impossible:fallout #american animals #bad times at the el royale #personal #the wife #won't you be my neighbor

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reifromrfa · 6 years

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You Don’t Deserve Her: Saeyoung

What happens when an RFA member discovers another member cheated on MC?

Warning: Angst ahead

This. One. Broke. Me.

Saeyoung - Zen cheats on MC

She was the only one who really understood him

She laughed at all his jokes and sometimes she even played along, taking the words right out of his mouth, surprising him

Captivating him

During the times that Saeyoung was in the hospital with Saeran, MC would constantly call him, checking to see if he was alright and if he needed anything

Letting him know she was there for the twins

And at that moment he knew this was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with

Her kindness, her strength, her smile

It melted the ice around his heart, making him yearn for her warmth even more

But it was the handsome actor who won her heart

Who got to hold her in his arms, got the chance to cherish her

And Saeyoung stepped back and let him love her

Even after he had taken down the agency, his enemies were still looking for him and he didn’t want such a wonderful person to get caught up in his world

He wanted her to be safe, to be happy

…just not with him.

Because he could make her laugh

But she doesn’t smile at him the way she smiles at Zen

They looked beautiful together

And Saeyoung was happy for them

Even though he would sometimes joke to MC about forgetting Zen and loving him instead

Earning him angry emojis from the actor

“You shouldn’t fall in-love with actors, MC~”

“Come with me to the space station instead lolololol”

No, but seriously, he was happy for them.

Really, he was.

Saeran noticed the way his brother lunged for the phone every time she texted though

How his brother looked when he spoke with her on the phone: a boyish grin on his face, a slight redness on his cheeks, a longing in his eyes that would immediately be replaced by sadness

Saeran felt bad for him

Because that idiot was obviously in-love with MC

But Saeyoung felt that everything was right in the world

MC was happy, Zen, his friend, was happy

Everything was good

…until it wasn’t

He didn’t mean to spy on his friends

But it was his job to keep them safe, to know where they were just in case

So there are cameras placed outside every member’s apartment as well

Which included Zen’s place, where MC usually stayed

He heard the familiar ding of his computer, signaling movement outside of Zen’s house

He turned to the monitor, hoping to catch a glimpse of MC

His eyes widened though when he saw MC walk into the line of sight of the camera, carrying a small duffel bag under the pouring rain

She was rubbing her eyes and then there was Zen, running up behind her and grabbing her arm, looking like he was pleading with her

The two of them are soaked but neither of them seemed to notice

MC pulls away and the two of them look like they were in a screaming fight

Until Zen’s shoulders sag and he backs away and MC leaves

But not before Saeyoung sees the hurt expression on her face

He immediately traces the location of her phone and runs to one of his cars

Whatever it is the couple fought about, MC is not in a state to be alone right now in the raging storm

Finally, he spots her walking along the empty streets, drenched

MC doesn’t even notice his car rolling to a stop beside the sidewalk, she just continues walking

And Saeyoung’s heart is breaking

Zen what the hell did you do?

He jumps out of the car, cursing himself for not having umbrellas

MC is in a daze, her entire being numb

Until she feels something soft against her head and she turns around and sees Saeyoung behind her

“Saeyoung…?”

He gives her a small smile and takes her hand, leading her to his car

His jacket on top of her head

And then around her body as they both enter the car and MC realizes how cold she is

Inside and out

Body and soul

All she feels is a cold, aching numbness

He doesn’t ask her what’s wrong

Doesn’t ask her what happened

He just drives quietly, not knowing what to do

Not wanting to hurt her

But then speaks, her voice small and quiet

“You were right, Saeyoung.”

Her voice full of pain

“Right?”

“You were right. I should have never fallen in love with him.”

“I never should have fallen in-love with an actor.”

How he wished he could have been wrong

“How did you know where I was?”

“Ahh...sorry, I tracked you. Just…I saw the CCTV feed outside Zen’s apartment and…”

MC sniffed

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me, MC. I’ll always watch over you. I’m the Defender of Justice, remember? I heard you calling my name.”

He gives her a smile, hoping he could ease some of her pain

MC gives him a small, sad smile

But then numbness vanishes

And MC is hit with all the emotions she’s been trying to suppress

Heartbreak

Pain

Betrayal

A loneliness and self-loathing that she has never felt before

And she breaks

She buries her face in her hands and cries her heart out

Her heart, which is in shattered pieces on the living room floor of Zen’s apartment

Saeyoung grips the steering wheel tightly, the sound of her muffled cries sending jolts of pain through his heart

He stops the car and turns off the ignition

And for once, he follows his heart

He leans over his seat and wraps his arms around her

Enveloping her in his strong arms, trying to hold her up when all she wanted to do was break down

“Saeyoung.”

“It hurts so much, Saeyoung.”

“He always told me he loved me. He always told me I was the only one for him.”

“We were saving up for our wedding.”

“I thought he was the one I would spend my life with.”

“But when I answered one of his phone calls during his shower, I heard a woman’s voice.”

“She was looking for him so I asked who she was…”

“She said to me, ‘Oh, so he hasn’t told you yet? I’m the woman he’s been seeing behind your back. Whoops. I guess you know now.’”

“I didn’t believe her, Saeyoung. I didn’t believe her. I thought she was a deranged fan who just wanted to stir up some trouble.”

“Maybe a reporter who wanted a hot new gossip article.”

“But…I remembered seeing her name pop up a few times on Zen’s phone.”

“So I checked his messages.”

“Saeyoung…that woman was telling the truth.”

“Zen tried to deny it. He got angry that I answered the call, checked his messages.”

“But it was too late.”

“Their conversations…they’ve been together for a while now.”

“It explained why he was always so tired when he came home late from rehearsals.”

“Why he spent most of his time out with his colleagues.”

“Why he never called between his breaks anymore.”

“Because he was always with her.”

“And I…”

“I was stupid enough to believe he ever truly loved me.”

“I was living in a fantasy…how could someone like him ever love someone like me?”

“Don't, MC. Don’t say that.”

Saeyoung listened to her story

Anger making his blood boil

The thought of his friend cheating on MC with another woman just made him want to BREAK SOMETHING

It made him so angry and frustrated and he wished he could go to Zen’s place right now and make him pay for what he did

But MC needs him right now

He pulls back and leans closer to her, cupping her face in his hands as he stares into her hazel eyes

He gently wipes the tears from her cheeks

“MC, you are beautiful. And smart. And kind and brave and funny and you are perfect. A man who doesn’t see that and appreciate that doesn’t deserve your love.”

“Please, don’t blame yourself for this.”

“I…I want you to know I’m here for you.”

“You can lean on me.”

“I won’t let you suffer alone.”

MC bursts into tears and buries her face against his chest, her hands gripping his shirt tightly

Saeyoung gently strokes her hair and holds her close as tears escape his eyes as well

She saved them

All of them

MC doesn’t deserve this

She doesn’t deserve to be broken like this

By Zen of all people

She sobs and cries and howls into his chest, the thought of not being good enough for Zen plaguing her mind

The hacker doesn’t let her go

He stays still and offers her the comfort she very much needed

The comfort they both needed

Because Zen was their friend

And he betrayed them both

She’s already caught a cold by the time they arrive at the bunker

Saeyoung gives her some of his clothes and lets her rest on his bed

But he knew she wouldn’t find peace in her dreams

He watches her from his work area, looking at her through the screen

She had her back turned from the camera

But he could see her shoulders shaking with the sobs he couldn’t hear

“Hyung…did Zen…?” Saeran asks from the doorway

Saeyoung sighs and nods

He doesn’t know how to feel

His emotions are a mess, ranging from anger, to betrayal, to regret

Zen had been his friend for a long time

He wanted Zen to succeed in life because their pasts were sort of similar

Only Zen had the talent to stand under the spotlight

While Saeyoung had to work in the darkness

He wanted Zen to be happy

He wanted Zen to live the life he could never have

And knowing this man —a man he looked up to, a man he wanted be, a man he trusted enough to call his friend

A friend who he would risk his life for

This man hurt the only woman he had given his heart to

He doesn’t know how to feel

“Saeyoung…do you want me to—”

“No.” Saeyoung answers, already knowing what his brother was asking. “I would never ask you to do that, Saeran. I’ll go.”

“Please take care of MC while I’m gone.”

He easily picks the lock of the actor’s front door

Pushing the door open, he’s greeted by darkness

And broken pieces of glass on the floor

For a minute, he forgets his anger and worries that something bad might have happened to Zen

But then a shaft of light on the floor catches his attention

And he enters Zen’s bedroom

He finds the actor by the foot of the bed, his back to the hacker

Sitting like a broken rag doll, his limbs hanging limply from his body

His hands and feet are bloody

And Saeyoung realizes he must’ve been the one who shattered all those mirrors in the living room

“Zen.”

The actor sighs

“Thank God. Saeyoung, please tell me you found her.”

“Of course I did.”

“Good. Good…”

“Good? Zen, everything is not good.”

“How could you do that to her?”

“How could you break her heart?”

To his surprise, the actor laughs

He glares at Zen and steps into the room, more shattered pieces of glass crunching under his boots

And he sees the empty bottles of beer on the floor

His anger flares and he leans down and grabs the actor by the collar, slamming him against the bed

“What is wrong with you?”

“You don’t have the fucking right to laugh after everything you’ve put her through!”

“Do you realize how hurt she is? She hasn’t stopped crying ever since she left this apartment!”

“She’s crying because she loves you!”

“She’s crying because you betrayed that love and threw it away!”

“Like it meant nothing to you!”

“It meant everything to me!” Zen bellows

Tears are flowing down his face as he stares angrily into the redhead’s eyes

“She meant everything to me.”

“But I fucking ruined it.”

“I was stupid.”

“I was wrong.”

“It was a mistake I know I will never be able fix.”

“I wanted love…I wanted more love.”

“…but I’m the biggest fucking idiot.”

“I had all the love I needed…the greatest love from the greatest woman in the world.”

“And I messed it up.”

“I. SCREWED. UP.”

“And now…now it’s too late.”

He lets out a bitter chuckle through his tears

“I can’t even look at myself right now.”

“So I shattered all the mirrors.”

“Because I’m a monster, Saeyoung.”

“I can’t look at the monster I’ve become.”

“I wish the wounds in my heart would heal as fast as these cuts on my hands.”

He lets go of Zen as the actor breaks down in front of him, falling to the floor on his side

His sobs echoing through the empty apartment

“I’m sorry, Saeyoung. I’m sorry. I know nothing can ever fix this.”

“I want to apologize to her…but in my heart, I know.”

“I know that I don’t deserve her.”

“And I’m a selfish idiot for even thinking I still have a chance with her.”

Saeyoung falls back and sits on the floor, Zen’s confession rendering him speechless

All the anger has dissipated now, and tears sting his eyes as Saeyoung listens to his friend’s sobs

Everyone is hurting

Him, MC…Zen.

It would have been easier to cling onto the anger if Zen had been the jerk that everyone expected him to be

The hot actor who’s coveted by everyone, who would break women’s hearts easily

But seeing Zen so broken, so full of guilt and remorse

He can’t bring himself to hate the actor

The thought of cutting out Zen from his life…it hurt him too

He didn’t think he can stand losing another member of his family

When Saeyoung finally decides to go, he’s stopped by the actor’s hoarse voice

“Saeyoung.”

“I just…I just wanted to thank you. For everything you’ve done for me. In the morning, you might end up hating me…Hell, I bet you already hate me now. But you did so much for me…so…thank you.”

“Please take care of her.”

“I…I think I’m going to disappear for a while.”

“So…please. Take care of her.”

The hacker listens and closes his eyes

“Zen…take care of yourself.”

And he walks away

It would be a long time before he sees the actor again

THIS. BROKE. MY. HEART.

Oh God. I love all the guys so much. But the thought of Zen cheating...it hurt so much ;A; Zen’s my first love in the RFA okay :(( He’s the one who made me stay with the game. fja;kdjfkajdfal I’m crying ;A; Sorry for this guys!!! Don’t hate me please hahaha

Whew. Last one to go. I don’t even know how to write Juju’s huhu but yeah! Penultimate post for the YDDH series. Thank you so much for all the support on this series and for staying with this! :) Juju’s might take a while, I need to recover ;;;

Check out my other Mysme writings here! I have some fluff in there too HAHA

Buy me a Mango Shake? (▰˘◡˘▰)

I’d be honored to write your story <3

Get extra content by becoming a Patron! :)

#mystic messenger #mysme #mm #headcanon #cheating hc #short fic #fic #mystic messenger hc #you don't deserve her #you don't deserve her series #zen #hyun ryu #saeyoung choi #saeyoung #seven #i'm legit heartbroken #i'm sorry this hurt so much ;A;#scared to write jumin's #oh my god

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secretshinigami · 6 years

Text

Red petals

Title: Red petals Author: @theredtint For: @thequietonesarethedarkestones Pairings/Characters: B/L/Naomi, more like B/L & B/Naomi(everyone is cool with everyone) Rating/Warnings: T, mild gore at first, language Prompt: AU where B and Naomi don’t die, and L calls both of them in to help investigate the Kira case. Bonus points for romance between the three of them. (Not a love triangle, polyamory)

Author’s notes: You also said for fanfic requests hanahaki disease and I love that so much, but my art is really bad so instead I tried to incorporate that into this fic. Naomi was really difficult to write into a relationship with these two idiots. I almost scrapped this because she is just so mature and these two just aren’t. With B it’s honestly like she is babysitting him. “Ryuzaki, please don’t do - or sure do that, not my fault if you die.”

There is a range of dead and live roses on his bed when he opens the door to the attic. The dust is all around and closed case files line the wall, just like they used to. The dust bunnies dance in the ray of light from the window as he walks over to pick up a rose. B used to leave one for every day he was gone from The House when he was younger, when they were younger. When A was still alive. He told him of hanahaki disease once when L asked why roses. Told him how the flowers would crawl their way up his throat, ripping the inside with their thorns and dying white petals red. L told him to shut up and stop being stupid. The flowers were from the garden, Z would file in complains that someone would cut them down.

B is in the doorway, he looks older, scarred and burnt, bandages hanging off and the patches of skin that L can see have roses on them. Large, and beautiful, and red like blood. The hospital room is behind him, a medical gurney and a burnt body on it. His body. L never got enough courage to visit when he was awake. He sat by the bedside for two hours, leaving before B woke up and not looking back. So his brain tries to put an expression L used to know onto a new face. It looks wrong and out of place. He sees the mouth open, sees the petals fall.

He almost fails to catch himself when he wakes up with a jerk, nearly falling out of the armchair that he dozed off in. It takes a moment for the world to come into focus and he finds what woke him up.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up? We’ve talked about this, if you feel tired you should go to bed.” Watari carries in a file to set down on the coffee table in front of him. “Sleeping in that position is damaging for your spine.”

He waves the old man off. “I didn’t feel tired.” There is a sigh but Watari doesn’t protest.

“They should be here any minute now.”

B looks more animated than he expected. He grew into his limbs nicely L thinks, catches a small smile that threatens to show and locks it away. Three counts of first degree murder. Arson. Assault. Breaking and entering. Desecration of a corpse. He recites the lengthily list that got B in prison, fading out the image of a young boy with a missing tooth and long lanky arms he hasn’t grown into yet.

Naomi looks like she is running on three hours of sleep and two liters of coffee, and also vaguely like she’d rather not be here, but it might be jet lag. He gestures at the couch next to the armchair he is in.

“Go on, sit down. I hope the flight wasn’t too unpleasant. There is tea and some pastries on the table you can have whatever you want but those cupcakes, those are mine.” He points at a plate before deciding to just reach over and take it to where he is instead. “I’m assuming you both read the files provided to you on the -“ His words break off when B’s hand is in his hair. He noticed him moving yes, but somehow still hoped the movement would be to sit down on the couch and not come and assault him.

“What is this? What did you do to your hair? Did you fucking straighten it?” B’s hands aren’t aggressive, must like inspecting. Someone still hasn’t learnt the meaning of personal space. Naomi is dragging him off by the shirt collar before L has a chance to kick him off.

“Ah, I see you decided to ignore a whole page.” L feels tense, but seeing Naomi shove B onto the couch and sit down next to him somehow calms his nerves back down.

“Don’t be dramatic, I ignored one rule.” He is waving the accusation off and L sees the same boy past the burns and missing finger. You can’t match me anymore. He isn’t sure how he feels about that. B doesn’t seem to be bothered by his appearance, or at least he doesn’t show it if he is. But B was always a brilliant actor, switching faces and voices at the drop of a hat. Sometimes L still wonders if B remembers his real voice, or if he played parts for so long that his own got lost in that mix.

Naomi is pouring tea for herself and only speaks once she takes a sip. Poised, but looks natural and relaxed next to B’s erratic movements.

“We’ve read the memo. I’ve made him read the memo.” B’s lip twitches at the clarification and he looks like he is about to say something before Naomi shushes him. They spent at least four months with each other at this point and it shows. L was rather surprised at how well the arrangement worked. “He says it’s not normal. You are dealing with supernatural powers.”

“This case is going to fuck you over.” B states as he reaches for a brownie. “Absolutely and ut-“

Naomi punches him in the shoulder slightly. It looks like it could still sting. L hopes it stings. B looks pleased, L wishes he didn’t.

“If you get past all of his ranting, the verdict is supernatural powers used by someone who is in this region yes. Likely human he said.” She pauses to take a sip and there is an exasperated sign. “Two hours of ranting, L. He would not shut up.” Well that explains why she looks like she hasn’t slept. B still seems to have a tendency to go on a tangent. He used to like hearing him talk, now all it reminds him of is B’s voice breaking into sobs after A’s funeral. B is fidgeting around, he is either attempting to actually find a good position, or annoy her. “God, sit down.” By the look on B’s face it was the latter.

L doesn’t know how he feels about this pairing yet, they work well together, almost too well for who B is, for how B is. But as long as B is contained and pacified L doesn’t care how he got to that point, Naomi never requested to have him taken back behind bars despite periodic complains, and despite L giving her a clear option to do so. He sees this as beneficial to all parties, maybe eventually B will grow up and out of his obsessions.

They talk and B laughs more often than L finds necessary, but his insight is valuable, his eyes are valuable. It’s an asset that can edge him on in this race of death, or at least that’s what B calls it. “Race of Death.” Naomi drinks at least four cups of coffee during the briefing, inputs her couple of dimes, and even if L brought her in to keep B on the chain he find her ideas and theories fascinating. Something other than heart attacks. B is grinning when she speaks, like some sort of proud boyfriend- mentor, L corrects himself mentally. The image of B in a relationship is unfitting. He is all red petals and thorns, get too close and you will bleed.

The world doesn’t fit quite right when he walks into Naomi in B’s lap and his mouth on her throat. It looks…wrong. Misshapen and fascinates him like some sort of a crime scene. It’s not a crime scene however because Naomi’s hands are under B’s shirt, pulling him in. It’s a few minutes until L coughs and she jumps off, red faced and terrified, full of excuses at first, attempting to convince L of something he doesn’t need to be convinced of. Looks like B indeed did swing that way, he wouldn’t have guessed with his past. And B is grinning at him like a wolf across the room, all smug and L is sharply aware that he knew that he was there all along. You really didn’t mature at all. He tells Naomi what they do in their personal, off the work time is none of his business as long as it doesn’t impact work and leaves. B finds him in the HQ, sitting in front of the screens and staring at the recent death tolls.

B’s hands are still warm when they wrap around his shoulders, but there is a faint pink mark on his cheek when he leans over and L looks to the side, it’s pleasing to see. There are also hickeys over his neck, those are less pleasing to see. This is the first time since they arrived that he is alone with B. It’s unnerving and yet painfully familiar.

“Are you upset?”

“Why would I be?”

“That you are not the only one who has me now?”

“I never wanted to have you. You are like a weed.” It’s only half a lie. He might’ve found B annoying back then, but as years grew by that hole that was left with his departure continued to expand. Maybe B wasn’t a weed after all.

“That’s rather hurtful of you.” His hands are still over L’s chest and they are warm and calming. “Did you miss me?”

“No.”

There is a chuckle next to his ear and L can feel B burying his face into his hair, a soft humming follows, familiar lullaby, L wants it to stop, B has no right to bring it up now. L wonders what this is leading to when B was just leaving marks over Naomi mere minutes before. “Shouldn’t you go back to your girlfriend? As I understand it women get upset if you leave them like this.”

“Did you miss me?” The thorns coil into the wound, pressing against the sensitive flesh, threatening to drag the truth out with blood if they have to.

“Are you dating or is this just a thing to pass time?”

“Dating. Did you miss me?” B is insistent, he didn’t change. The same teen who would bring roses to him day after day as a reminder that he still loved him, as if him not bringing a rose would hurt L in some way.

“Is she upset?” L tilts his head back and B shifts, his face coming into view above L. The mark has faded, the hickeys haven’t. B’s face looks nice in the glow of the monitors despite the scars. He reaches out, compelled to touch the ridged flesh, L knows B won’t protest.

“Did you miss me?”

“Yes.” He isn’t sure if he is pulling B down or if B is moving down himself, he knows that he sees a pair on black jeans in the doorway out of the corner of his eyes before B’s hair is covering his vision. His lips are still soft, surprisingly so, healed from the fire, they taste vaguely like coffee and he realizes that it must be Naomi’s, there is no sweetness to it. That’s a thing that he focuses on in this kiss. It’s gentle, like a lover’s long gone.

“Ahem.” It takes a moment after that cough to push B away after that cough. He feels…hm, whats the word for this? Embarrassed? L thinks that he feels embarrassment. He isn’t sure, it’s a new feeling. L knows he doesn’t particularly enjoy it. His ears feel a bit hot.

“Oh, you did decide to join me.” B is still looking down at L with a grin before standing straight and turning around, spinning L’s chair with him to face Naomi.

“You are two days late. You owe me a hundred.” L expected anything but that smile, he expected tears, or anger, or whatever else women do when they catch their supposed partner making out with some other dude. He didn’t expect an amused smile.

“It’s just two days.” B sounds vaguely upset.

“Tsk tsk, a bet is a bet, Dear.”

L has never been more confused in his life.

Naomi explains it over tea, their relationship is more open that normal ones are. And before coming over B proposed a bet that he could get a kiss out of L, and, like the child he is, got offended when Naomi said that he couldn’t, proposing another bet: That he could get a kiss in less than a week. He didn’t and now a hundred dollars are owed. L is still confused by the end of it, but B ends up all over his lap, it feels right and nostalgic, and Naomi doesn’t mind so L doesn’t see any point in pushing him off.

Light runs when they try to arrest him, he remind L of younger B, only B now is grinning next to his chair as Naomi apprehends Kira. He feels like this is too easy, this is not fair, this feels like it was handed to him on a silver platter by B. He doesn’t speak to Light before he is escorted out, the case is closed, not in a way he would’ve wished it to be, but it is closed and there is nothing more that he wants to say to Light. Watari will get all the necessary information. He has more interesting matters to attend to. B said Naomi likes roses, he’ll make sure to place an order for those.

#fanfiction #submission #b #L Lawliet #Naomi Misora #bxl #misora massacre #bxlxnaomi #Super Star Sayu 2k18

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learningrendezvous · 3 years

Text

Film Making

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHARACTER SCENES - INTERIOR AND SUNSET

The course teaches: Characters Scenes - Interior and Sunset: 3 Pint Lighting, ARRI HMI Lighting, Hi-LO Audio Selection, Blocking Actors, Composition, Close - UP (CU) Framing.

Acting: Rehearsing the Scene, Dry Reads, Defining The Character, Moment of Discovery, Scene Transitions ib Character, Improving the Character, Writing the Characters Bio.

Cameras: White Balancing Warm Cards,Setting Standard Daylight 5600K, Warm Card - Warm 1, Triangular Composition, Flat Lines, Shooting Into a Corner, Depth of Field, Shallow Angles, Cut Offs in Frame ( Neck, Waist, Knees).

Audio: Wireless Receivers, Setting Up Two microphones, Receivers Vs. Shotgun, Camera Default Microphone, Setting Camera Audio Gain.

Dollies: 4 Foot Move, Lighting in the Dolly Path, Close Up (CU) Positions, Dolly Moves to Final Frame, Creating the Dramatic Moment, Dolly Movement Time, Threshold Distance, Eye-Level Close Up Positions.

Lighting: Mimicking Natural Light, HMI Lights - Hot Re-Striking, Fogging Bulb, Focusing the lamp, Spot Vs. Flood, Using Bounce Boards, Soft Sourcing, Lighting Ballast.

DVD / 2011 / 57 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMING ON LOCATION, PROGRESSION OF TAKES & DEFINING YOUR DIRECTING STYLE

The course teaches: Locations: Alcohol and Safety, Managing Location Providers, Fast Interior LED Lighting, Bar Interior.

Location Shooting: Rehearsing at the Location, Permissions, Working with the Location Owner, Substituting at the Location, Shooting Segways, Moving Locations For Exteriors, Wardrobe Continuity.

Acting: Positioning the Actors, Extras, Spontaneity, Improv, Staying in Character Between Locations, Using off Camera Voice Prompts, Progression of Takes, Getting a Hold on the Character.

Directing: Defining Your Style, Choosing The Takes, Changing the Delivery of Dialogue, Choosing the Scene Mood, Interacting with the Cast and Crew, Making the Decisions both on and off set, Body Language to The Left Right.

Lighting: Reach Minimums of 5o IRE Level, Quick Lighting on Location, Battery Operated Lights, Dimming the Light Path, Creating Primary Shadows, Using Panels, Hair Light, Key and Fill Light Balance, Kicker Lights or 3/4 back light, Gaining Up, White Balance Comparatives - 5600K Daylight - 4400K Fluorescent - 3200K Tungsten.

Camera: Camera Zebra, Gaining Up, Using Natural Surrounding Lighting, Set Lighting Comparatives, Get Your Shot Get Your Close Ups First, Shooting the Environment, 3 Dimensional Perspectives, Eyelines 3 Subjects, Matching Action, Framing for Intercutting, Establish Shots Using Curving Lines od Depth, Lower Angle Tripod Shots, Drawing Attention to the Actors or Background, Look Space, Film Cutaways, Depth of Field Focus and Rack Focus.

Microphones: Ambient Sound, LavalliÃ¨re Microphone Vs. Shotgun, Matching the Sound to the Location, Low Cost Shotgun Microphones, Blending the Ambient Shots, Microphone Proximity.

DVD / 2011 / 76 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMING WITH VEHICLES, JIBS IN-DEPTH, ACTING IN FRAMES & CAMERA FOCAL LENGTH

The course teaches: Jibs In-Depth: Mounting A Jib Inside a Vehicle, Axes of Movement, Panning and Tracking Shots, Camera Height.

Camera: Camera Mounted on Jib, Coming Into the Shot, Jib Assembly, Promax Cobra Crane, Using Frame Guides, Changing Camera Focal Length, Creating Repeating Patterns, Camera Close, Frame Interpolation, Lens Flare, French Flag, Elevating Camera Shot, Lens Filters, IRE Levels, Camera Level.

Shooting From Vehicles: Vehicle Preparation, Ratcheting the Rear, Mounting the Apple Box, Crane Tilting Action, Lashing The Camera, Counterbalancing The Crane, Crane Up and Down, Combining Jib Movement, Crane Zoom ShotTilt Up With Jib Tilt Down with Camera, Shot Motion, Softening The Ride, Keeping The Perspective During Movement, Side Shots, Leading Shots, Direction of Travel, Safety, Rehearsing the Move.

Acting: Crossing the Shot, Left to Right, Camera Towards, Camera Away, Moving In and Out of Frame.

DVD / 2011 / 63 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMMAKING: ACTING CONTINUITY, LIGHTING MOODS, CRANKING THE CAMERA, LIGHTING NIGHT TO DAY AND NIGHT EXTERIORS

The course teaches: Segments: FAUX Sunrise Lighting In Depth, Color Harmony, Screen Mass, Gamma Cycle - Interior Tungsten, Lighting Moods: 4 Lights with 3 Lights, Shooting Night Exteriors.

Acting: Believe you are the character, Keep The Actors Informed What You Are Doing, Wardrobe Color Harmony, Wardrobe Color Contrast, Blocking The Props, Scene Continuity, Range Of Movement, Defining Head Room, Positions and Marks.

Camera: Under-cranking the camera, Shooting at a slower frame rate, Shooting at 12 Frames Per Second, Over-cranking the Camera, Shooting at 48 Frames Per Second, Low Angle/Higher Angle, Shooting Night Exteriors, Establishing The Wide Shot.

Lighting: Light Bouncing Off Reflectors, Lighting Conventions, Advanced Light Gag, Creating Movement of the Sun, Adding Tinted Blue, Contrast the Moon With The Sun Rise, Tinting the Fill Light, Using Diffusion Gels, Using Low Level Lights, White Balance with Warm Card 3, Using Color Temperature Gels, Using Effect Lighting Creating Wall Pattern, Calculating Light Wattages, Scene Masses Left - Right Frames, Color Separation, Silhouette Shots, Circular Camera Moves, Balancing Sodium Vapor Street Lights With Tungsten.

DVD / 2011 / 69 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FOLLOW FOCUS, SPEED CRANKS, FOCUS PULLING, WHIPS & EXTENSIONS

This program focuses on Follow Focus Devices with Karl Horn from Cinetech. Experienced shooters of Pro HD or SD Digital Cinema Camera rely on the focusing dial to create more dramatic transitions into actors or objects. Forget your wrist, learn to use follow focus wheels that reorient the direction of the focus dial to one that more easily fits the movement of the human body. They give you focus stops, so that you don't have to guess where your subject is. Just set up the A and B stops and go from A to B. No guess work. This comes in very handy in cameras that do not have numerical readouts for focus marks. Learn use of whips and extensions for focus pulling devices allowing you or a crew "focus puller" to pull focus from behind the camera so that you can just concentrate on panning and tilting the camera with the actor.

Teaches: Focus Pulling Techniques, Follow Focus Types, Single/Double Wheel, Whips and Extensions, Speed Cranks, Rear-Firing Configurations and much more.

DVD / 2011 / 62 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT HEAVY STUDIO DOLLIES, DOLLY TRACKS, DOLLY MOVES PRO MIKE BOOMS AND JIB MOVES

With 35-year Veteran Hollywood Key Grip Chet Spinney. This teaching course teaches Heavy Studio Dollies, Balancing Dolly Track, Proper Dollying Methods, Dolly & Jib Moves, Pro Mic Booms and much more. You can get away with using compact dollies on many occasions, but there are certain situations where you will be required to help set up or operate a heavy dolly. Spinney will help you understand the principles of balancing a dolly track, pushing techniques, proper movement, and braking. After that, Steve Schuneman will share his extensive experience operating Pro Mic Booms on multi-million dollar TV shows. He will show you how to operate a pro mic boom, or communicate with your boom operator so that you can have a more productive set experience. As a filmmaker, you should be familiar with the operation and terminology, facets and limitations, of every piece of equipment on the set. This program will help get you one step farther, in a generally ignored part of the industry that doesn't get the glitz of body-mounted camera systems, but has been a mainstay of every indie and studio film for decades.

DVD / 2011 / 35 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IN SET LIGHTING, ACTING & SHOOTING THE SCENES

The course teaches:

ON SET LIGHTING & CAMERA: Avoiding Trade Marks On Screen, Setting Proos, Adding Color To The Set And Practical's, Setting The Tones For The Scene, Using Spot Bulbs, Ceiling Fill Lights, Gamma Tones - Mid Tones and Color, Gamma Noise, Multiple Shots - Varying Angles, Height, Framing, Close-Ups, Jib Down Shot, Dolly Shot - Reveal - Costume Reveal, Dutch Angle, Camera Roll, Setting the White Balance in the Field, Reflectors - Soft Gold - Hard Gold - Soft White, HMI and Daylight, Using Dimmers, Leaning The Jib with the Actor, Jib Left and Right Movement, Director of Photography (DP) Shot Options, Steady Shots, Tilt Down to Actor Angle, Natural Jib Vs. Unnatural Zoom, Cutting From Wide Shot to Close-Up, Measuring The Light Positions, Using Natural Light, Microphones - On Camera Vs. Boom, Underexposure Shots.

ON ACTING: Jib Usage, Dolly VS. Zoom, Lighting in the Pocket, Props, Imaging the Scene, Preparing the Actor to Portray the Character, Reversing The Scenes, Controlling The Scene Action, Refining The Actors Movement with the Crew, Blocking The Shot, Using Storyboards, Setting The Scene Shadows, Multiple Takes, Side Looks, Hitting The Marks for Light Pockets.

SHOOTING THE SCENES: Grouping Shots, Multiple Shots, Setting the Eye Line, Over the Shoulder Shots, Line of Sight, Defining the Left and Right Angles, Perspectives, Creative Shots.

DVD / 2011 / 105 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LIGHTING FOR DARK INTERIORS

The course teaches: Lighting For Dark Interiors: Using Gain to See Light Sources, Bad Version of Lighting, Blocking for Shadows, Scrim Usage In Depth, Gamma Settings, Compositing for Dominance, Framing to Help the Script. The Set Balance: Examine Normal Lighting - Striating Point, Monitor Comparatives - Dynamic Range, Professional Vs. Consumer Monitors. Camera: Reverse Angles, Blackening The Light, Test Lighting, Camera Positions, Rehearsing With HMI, Switching Body Positions, Blocking The Actors to Allow for Frame Space. Lighting: Bad Lighting Examples, Losing The Characters, Deep Shadows, No Framing and Positioning Examples, Using Lowel Clamps, Buffering The Clamps, Chimera With Soft Box, Light Gags, Sculpting the Frame, Lighting for Mood, Contrast Range, Blue Rimmed Scrims, Single Scrims, Double Scrim, Trippe Scrip, Gamma Settings for Interiors, Cine-Like D Gamma Cine Matrix, Cine Like V Gamma Cine Matrix, Cine Like D Gamma Normal Matrix, Cine Like V Gamma Normal Matrix, Cine Like D gamma Fluoro Matrix, Cine Like V Gamma Fluoro Matrix, Key Light Positions, Matching Light Patterns, Controlling Barn Doors, Adjusting f-stops, Acceptable Double Shadows, Diffusion Gels, Using Silk Flags, Half Diffusion, Full Diffusion, Using Suction Bases for light Stands, Internal Internal Baffles, Neutral Density Gels.

DVD / 2011 / 42 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT MATTEBOXES, SUNSHADES, FRENCH FLAGS, ELECTRO-MONIC FOLLOW FOCUS & MONITOR HOLDERS

This teaching course teaches Mounting Matteboxes, Using French Flags, Side Flags, Baseplates and Rods, Sunshades, Filter Holders, Camera Design Issues, Zoom Controllers, Electronic Focus and much more. How do they achieve that crisp, contrast look in films, even when shooting into the sun? Why is it that when you try it, the shot is milky or hazy? The Mattebox is the device that solves that problem. It's great shooting into the sun. You get great highlights everywhere, the actors are naturally backlit, the sun isn't in their eyes and the scene looks more dynamic. But you need protection for the camera lens from haze and the major culprit, flare. Matteboxes allow you to control flare like never before. They also allow you to mount 4Ã—4 and sometimes 4Ã—5.65 filters all this is demonstrated in the program.

DVD / 2011 / 58 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SCENE - TO SCENE PRODUCTION INBOX

Learn Everything You Need To Know About Filmmaking - Scene To Scene. A full-Immersion learning experience rather than Discipline-Specific Learning. The course teaches: Learning techniques of production techniques and those conventions will apply to most production environments regardless of the camera being used. The information is useful and applies whether using an HDSLR or other single-sensor camera. Learning techniques of production techniques and those conventions will apply to most production environments regardless of the camera being used. The information is useful and applies whether using an HDSLR or other single-sensor camera.

Avoiding Bad Production Habits and Learning From Errors: Auto White Balance, Auto Iris, Standard Gamma, Standard Color Matrix, Auto Focus. Production - Scene One â€“ Interior: 3 Point Lighting, kino Flo Lighting, Audio Selection, Blocking Actors, Set DÃ©cor. Lighting: Placeholders, Why Are These Lights Being Used?, Natural Light Sources, Blending natural and Grip Lighting, Gain up the Lights, Avoiding Color Grain, Film Grain, Defining Light Paths, Rim Light Focus, Key Lighting - Brightest Light on the Set, Creating Highlights â€“ Backlights, Adding Orange Gel to Match Tungsten, Matching The Color Temperature, Fill lights, Setting Light Gain. Sets and Props: Foreground Objects, Sense of Motion, Avoiding Distracting Objects, Adding Foreground Objects, Movement with a Wide Angle Lens. Acting: Coaching The Actors Movements, Hand Gestures and Movement, Establishing Natural Movements, Dollying in for a dramatic moment, Director and Actor Connection, Shifting The Characters Demeanor, Reacting to the script, Additional Shots Close Ups. Audio: Audio Cues, Shotgun Mic Placements, Lavaliers on Set, Mixing The Set Audio.

DVD / 2011 / 56 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SCENE POSITIONING - MOOD OF THE SCENE- SHOT FRAMING PERSPECTIVES

The course teaches: Subjective White Balance, Vehicle Monitor Power, Improvised Wind Screens, Sculpting The Frame, The Shot Schedule. Acting: Creating The Mood, Blocking The Path Lines, Positioning The Scene, Face Portraying The Mood of Scene, Timing of Props, The Audience Focus, Facing The Hand Props, Tightening Up The Beats, Modifying Action, Looking Up or Down to Shot, Portraying Emotions. Camera: Reverse Angles, White Balance Modifiers, Golden Light, Adjusting Perceptual White Balance, Overriding The Camera Defaults, Shooting Neutral, Measuring The Scene, Rack Focusing, Framing perspectives, Visually Uniting the Actors, Camera Out of Frame, Shot Distancing, Dolly Grip, Dolly Speed, Compare and Contrast Shot, Defining The Shot Schedule, Color Temperature. Monitor: Calibration, Set Color - Real Color, 12V vs. 120 V. Microphones: Creating Wind Covers, Using Moleskins.

DVD / 2011 / 88 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SCRIPTWRITING

The course teaches: Screenwriting: Screenplay Format, Structure of Screenplay Format Acts 1,2 and 3, Concepts of Writing, Constructing Realistic Characters, Scene Sequence. Writing The Script: The written Word, Good Script Vs. Bad Script, Formatting - Key to Shooting, Writing Clearly, Developing The Story, The Components of a Screenplay, Creative Writing Techniques, Reaching the Unconscious Mind, Understanding the Creative Process, Developing Writing Habits, Editing work Vs. Creating the Story, Writing Consistency, The Nucleus of a Story. Script Development: Outline the Screenplay, Premise of the Story, Who are the Characters? What are their Necessities? What are the Conflicts? How the Story Will End, Making a Log Line, Setting a Genre for the Story, Consistent Theme, The First Draft. Delivering The Story:The Linear Screenplay, Flash Forward, Flash Back, Defining a Scene, Character Enhancement, Dramatic Contrast - Push Forward - Pull Back Methods, Mood of The Scenes, Revealing The Characters and Story to the Audience, Scriptwriting.

DVD / 2011 / 59 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SET & WARDROBE , ACTOR AND DIRECTOR, CAMERA ANGLES - ADVANCING THE STORY

The course teaches: Acting â€“ Directing, Set Decor and Wardrobe, 2 Point Lighting, Using Practicals With Pro Lighting, Jib And Dolly Usage, Jib Down. Acting: Setting The Tempo, Counting The Beats of Dialogue, Distancing, Intervals of Movement, Shot Grouping, Multiple Takes, Nerves, Settling Down With The Part, Stop and Rehearse, Stopping The Takes, Directing The Actor, Remaining In Character, Reacting To The Dialogue, Eye Expression, Leading The Actor. Cutting The Scene: Crosscuts, Hard Cuts, Perspectives. Set: Dressing The Set, Wardrobe Light Absorption, Wardrobe Continuity, Script Supervision, Choosing The Wardrobe for Character. Camera: Closeup Vs. Wide Shop, Slating Takes,Shooting The Complete Scene, Repeating The Take From Different Angles, Shooting Complete Closeups From Both Sides, Shooting To Match Actors Appropriate Height, Balancing The Foreground/Background Exteriors, Pan Shots, Tracking Shots, Face Room/Look Space, Racking The focus, Panning Approach To Scene End, Tracking Medium or Closeup, Tilt Down. Microphones: Microphone Proximity, Microphone Db Gain.

DVD / 2011 / 94 minutes

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT TRIPODS, BAGS, REFLECTORS, FLUID HEADS, PICKING THE RIGHT TRIPOD, CAMERA MOUNTS

Focuses on Tripods, Bags and Reflectors with Mark Bender from Bogen Imaging. The more you use your pro camera, the more you find that it deserves a pro camera bag, specifically designed to safely and lightly carry cameras and accessories. Learn to pick the right type, and how to make it work for your projects. Also, learn how to setup and operate light and heavy tripods, the difference between friction and fluid heads and how to pick the right tripod to do the job. An added bonus is a section on reflector types, what uses they have and how to get the most out of them.

DVD / 2011 / 75 minutes

http://www.learningemall.com/News/Filmmaking_202101.html

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sciforce · 4 years

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Artificial Intelligence for Cyber-Security: A Double-Edge Sword

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have shown significant progress in recent years, and their development has enabled a wide range of beneficial applications. As they have started penetrating into more touchy areas, such as healthcare, more concerns have arisen as to their resilience to cyber-attacks. Like any other technology, AI and ML can be used to threaten the security or to improve it with the new means. In this post, we’ll discuss both sides of ML, as a tool for malicious use and a means to fight cyber-attacks.

From a security perspective, the rise of AI and ML is altering the landscape of risks for citizens, organizations, and states. Let’s take the ability to recognize a face and to navigate through space with the help of computer vision techniques and you can create an autonomous weapon system. NLG, the machine’s ability to generate text and speech, can be used to impersonate others online, or to sway public opinion.

AI Security Threats

First of all, let’s discuss what it is possible to do with AI-based systems. All cyberattacks can be divided into the most common triad of confidentiality, availability, and integrity, intertwined to form three main directions:

Espionage, which in terms of cybersecurity means gleaning insights about the system and utilizing the received information for his or her own profit or plotting more advanced attacks. In other words, a hacker can use a ML-based engine to drill down and learn more about the internals like dataset.

Sabotage with the aim to disable functionality of an AI system by flooding AI with requests, or model modification

Fraud, which in AI means misclassifying tasks, such as introducing incorrect data in the training dataset (data poisoning) or interacting with a system at learning or production stage.

How can ML be misused to carry out attacks?

This is the question that worries everyone: from an old lady who was told that all her banking data will be processed digitally (even though she wouldn’t use the word “AI”) to the UN officials.

The truth is, AI systems have inherent characteristics that foster attacks. AI systems as a part of the digital world increase anonymity and psychological distance. We may automate a lot of tasks, but it also allows actors to experience a greater degree of psychological distance from the people they impact. For example, someone who uses an autonomous weapons system to carry out an assassination avoids the need to be present at the scene and the need to look at their victim.

AI algorithms are open and can be reproduced with some skills. It is difficult and costly to obtain or reproduce the hardware, such as powerful computers or drones, but everyone can gain access to software and relevant scientific findings.

On top of all, AI systems themselves suffer from a number of novel unresolved vulnerabilities, such as data poisoning attacks (introducing training data that causes a learning system to make mistakes), adversarial examples (inputs designed to be misclassified by machine learning systems), and the exploitation of flaws in the design of autonomous systems’ goals . These vulnerabilities differ from traditional software vulnerabilities (e.g. buffer overflows) and require immediate action to protect AI software.

Malicious use of AI can threaten security in several ways:

digital security by hacking or socially engineering victims at human or superhuman levels of performance;

physical security by affecting our personal safety with, for example weaponized drones; and

political security by affecting the society through privacy-eliminating surveillance, profiling, and repression, or through automated and targeted disinformation campaigns.

Digital security

Automation of vulnerability discovery: Historical patterns of code vulnerabilities can help speed up the discovery of new vulnerabilities.

Automation of social engineering attacks: NLP tools allow mimicking the writing style of the victim’s contacts, so AI systems gather online information to automatically generate personalized malicious websites/emails/links that are more likely to be clicked on.

Automation of vulnerability discovery: Historical patterns of code vulnerabilities can help speed up the discovery of new vulnerabilities.

Sophisticated hacking: AI can be used in hacking in many ways. It can offer automatic means to improve target selection and prioritization, evade detection, and creatively respond to changes in the target’s behavior and it can imitate human-like behavior driving the target system into a less secure state

Automation of service tasks in criminal cyber-offense: AI techniques can automate various tasks that form the attack pipeline, such as payment processing or dialogue with ransomware victims.

Exploiting AI used in applications, especially in information security: Data poisoning attacks are used to surreptitiously maim or create backdoors in consumer machine learning models.

Physical security

Terrorist repurposing: Commercial AI systems can be reused in harmful ways, such as using drones or self-driving cars to deliver explosives and cause crashes.

Attacks removed in time and space: As a result of automated operation, physical attacks are further removed from the attacker, including in environments where traditional remote communication with the system is not possible.

Swarming attacks: Distributed networks of autonomous robotic systems allow monitoring large areas and executing rapid, coordinated attacks.

Endowing low-skill individuals with high-skill capabilities: While in the past executing attacks required skills, such as those of a sniper, AI-enabled automation of such capabilities — such as using self-aiming, long-range sniper rifles — reduces the expertise required from the attacker.

Political security

State use of automated surveillance platforms: State surveillance powers are extended by AI-driven image and audio processing that permits the collection, processing, and exploitation of intelligence information at massive scales for myriad purposes, including the suppression of debate.

Realistic fake news: Recent developments in image generation coupled with natural language generation techniques produce highly realistic videos of state leaders seeming to make inflammatory comments they never actually made.

Hyper-personalised disinformation and influence campaigns: AI-enabled analysis of social networks can identify key influencers to be approached with (malicious) offers or targeted with disinformation. On a larger scale, AI can analyse the struggles of specific communities to fed them personalised messages in order to affect their voting behavior.

Manipulation of information availability: Media platforms’ content curation algorithms are used to drive users towards or away from certain content to manipulate their behavior. One of the examples are bot-driven large-scale denial-of-information attacks that are leveraged to swamp information channels with noise, creating an obstacle to acquiring real information.

Though there are lots of ways for AI to breach our safety and security, the question remains if it can be used also to forecast, prevent, and mitigate the harmful effects of malicious uses.

How can ML help us to increase the security of applications and networks?

AI offers multiple opportunities for hackers and even terrorists, but at the same time, artificial intelligence and security were — in many ways — made for each other. Modern ML techniques seem to be arriving just in time to fill in the gaps of previous rule-based data security systems. In their essence, they try to fulfill several tasks that allow improving security systems and preventing attacks:

Anomaly detection — the task that defines normal behavior falling within a certain range and identifies every other behavior as an anomaly and thereby a potential threat;

Misuse detection — an opposite task that identifies malicious behavior is identified based on training with labeled data and allows through all traffic not classified as malicious;

Data exploration is a technique to identify characteristics of the data, often using visual exploration which directly assists security analysts by increasing the ‘readability’ of incoming requests.

Risk assessment is another task that estimates the probability of a certain user’s behavior to be malicious, which can either be done by attributing an absolute risk score or classifying users based on the probability that they are bad actors.

Artificial Intelligence and Security Applications

Defense against hackers and software failures: The software that powers our computers and smart devices is subject to error in the code, as well as security vulnerabilities that can be exploited by human hackers. Modern AI-driven systems can search out and repair these errors and vulnerabilities, as well as defend against incoming attacks. For example, AI systems can find and determine whether the bug is exploitable. If found, the bot autonomously produces a “working control flow hijack exploit string” i.e. secures vulnerabilities. On the predictive side,such projects an artificial intelligence platform called AI2 predict cyber-attacks by continuously incorporating input from human experts.

Defense against zero-day exploits: Protection against such attacks is crucial since they are rarely noticed right away. It usually takes months to discover and address these breaches, and meanwhile large amounts of sensitive data is exposed. Machine Learning protect systems against such attacks by identifying malicious behavior by identifying abnormal data movement and help spot outliers

Crime prevention: Predictive analytics and other AI-powered crime analysis tools have made significant strides. Game theory, for example can be used to predict when terrorists or other threats will strike a target.

Privacy protection: Differential privacy has been written about for some years, but it’s a relatively new approach with mixed feedback as to its scalability. It offers a way to maintain private data on a network, while providing targeted “provable assurances” to the protected subpopulation and using algorithms to investigate the targeted population. This type of solution can be used in trying to find patterns or indications of terrorists in a civilian population, find infected citizens within a larger healthy population, amongst other scenarios.

Potential applications of AI for protection of industry and consumers

The field of artificial intelligence is growing constantly, embracing new techniques and creating new systems that could not be even imagined a decade ago.

An example of such development is IoT-based security: The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling cost-efficient implementation of condition-based maintenance for a number of complex assets, with ML playing a driving role in the analysis of incoming data. With the resources that IoT provides, the process of anomaly detection and, therefore, failure and crime prevention will become significantly more effective and rapid.

The potential for the use of AI applications in improving security is limited only by our imagination, since AI can upgrade the existing approaches and come up with completely new ones. Just a few examples of application categories that can be examined:

Spam filter applications;

Network intrusion detection and prevention

Credit scoring and next-best offers

Botnet detection

Secure user authentication

Cyber security ratings

Hacking incident forecasting, etc.

Conclusion

AI is a dual-use area of technology: the same system that examines software for vulnerabilities can have both offensive and defensive applications, and there is little technical difference between the capabilities of a drone delivering packages and those of a drone delivering explosives. Since some tasks that require intelligence are benign and others are not, artificial intelligence is inherently dual — but so is human intelligence.

#cybersecurity #artificial intelligence #machine learning #data science #security

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formidolumina · 7 years

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Interview: Actor Mark Strong on Playing Sinestro in 'Green Lantern' Source: X

I've had the honor of interviewing actor Mark Strong a few times over the last few years, while following his career explode with riveting roles as villains in numerous big movies like RocknRolla, Sherlock Holmes, Kick-Ass and Robin Hood. While some comic book fans may say Sinestro is also a villain, in Warner Bros' Green Lantern movie hitting theaters this week, Strong plays a good Sinestro, before his yellow destiny. I met up with Mark at Comic-Con last year for an interview on this very topic, and followed up with him again a few weeks ago after finally seeing Green Lantern to talk about the challenges of playing the alien Sinestro.

Thaal Sinestro was born on the planet Korugar in space sector 1417 and is dedicated to preserving order, making him one of the greatest Green Lanterns in their history. As always, Mark does a fantastic job in the role, bringing some gravitas to the character. I can't wait to see where Sinestro will go beyond this, as fans definitely know that he has an interesting future ahead of him and hopefully we'll get to see Mark bringing that future to life down the road. For now though, here's my latest interview with Mark on Green Lantern.

You've mentioned how important technology was to making Green Lantern, can you expand upon that and how technology was so important for your character and creating this movie?

Mark Strong: Well, the technology has definitely caught up with the vision, so you can make a film like Green Lantern. But what's been fascinating me over the last few days of talking about it is what I've realized is that Superman and Batman are the well-known DC Superheroes. Green Lantern was always considered a second tier one or "the other one". And I realized the reason for that is because you haven't been able to film Green Lantern before now. Superman's problems - apart from the fact he goes to Krypton and back, and Batman's problems are essentially earthboun-- it all takes place on Earth. So once you've got them in the costume, in the cape and the tights, everything happens on Earth. But Green Lantern, you can't tell that story without going to Oa. So it's not that he's a lesser one, it's just that the technology hasn't been able to kind of deliver him until now. I'm sure that's the reason.

But actually, when you think about it the whole, guy finds an alien, inherits a ring, realizes there are other people within the universe, then goes to Oa, then realizes there's a cosmic police force, it's mind blowing. It's way more interesting and cool than Batman or Superman's problem, which are essentially fairly simple.

Speaking of technology, it seemed like you didn't have much control in this role. As an actor, it's important that to fully embody a character, but in this you are wearing grey spandex, heavy make-up, prosthetics, and all you really have control over is your face and head. Is that restricting for you as an actor? And how do you approach that in terms of still giving the performance you want to give?

Mark: It's something you have to get used to. I mean the prosthetic… Funny enough, even though, as you say, the body is CGI, but they are my movements. So I wear a suit that tracks my movements. My movements have been copied, so it is my body. My head, bizarrely, I'm under a prosthetic with contact lenses, so I feel it's very hard to make the usual facial expressions that you would in order to communicate. I had to learn a slightly different way of allowing Sinestro to communicate, by tilting the head, catching the light in a particular way, turning in a particular way to tell the story, because I couldn't rely on furrowing my brow, for example.

But I quite enjoyed the challenge, once I got used to the idea that none of it was there. Essentially, it's not dissimilar from theater because you have to use your imagination. You have to fill in the blanks. And the same is true of theater. You walk out on stage, you know it's not real. You can see the audience. You can see the lights. And you walk off stage and the stage management person is standing there with headphones and a clipboard, even though you're pretending you're in Chekhov's Russia or something.

So you know it's not real, but that's not the point. The point is how you help the audience suspend their disbelief and transport them somewhere else. So I don't have a problem with the fact that I wasn't in complete control like you are in a normal film.

Did you feel that using so much technology to build this world would help in telling the bigger story, specifically with your character and his progression?

Mark: Yeah, because I don't know how you would shoot it convincingly to allow people to believe that there was this place and that these people existed within this place. So I have no problem with… The truth is, it's born out of a truth. The costumes, and they haven't just made them CGI because of a gimmick. The costume designer wanted to suggest that each of these different Lantern's uniforms was their skin, and that the ring created their uniform on their skin.

So if you look closely, Tomar-Re is a slightly scaly version. And if you look at Kilowog's, it's slightly different from Sinestro's, from the humanoid ones. So you need CGI in order to tell that story. I mean one character, one Green Lantern, is Bzzt, he's a fly. How's he going to get spandex on? He couldn't put on a spandex suit! There's one Green Lantern that's just an eyeball. So I love the idea that it's born of a truth, which is that you could believe that the suit is organic. It comes from the ring and from within them. And you can only tell that, I think, with CGI.

While on set, did they ever show you what the world you were in would look like? And second part of this, did you have the chance to look at your performance in relation to the world, with other elements rendered, almost with some pre-vis?

Mark: To answer the second bit first, no, there was no technique to show you, not even on the monitor. Even if you went to the monitor you were still looking at yourself in the funny gray suit with dots against the blue wall. They couldn't phase in, or never did phase in the background.

But what we did have on set was the artwork so you could go and remind yourself where you were. For example, when Sinestro speaks to all the lanterns, I would go and look at where I was and where they were. And, in fact, that had a 3D model on the side of the set, so I could go and see exactly where I was. But in the end I'm still standing on a green box looking at nobody. And part of the challenge of that is what makes it fun.

How much interaction did DC Comics have, specifically Geoff Johns. Did you know him and work with him on set? How much did DC come in to shape the characters, especially with Sinestro because of his mythology and where he goes?

Mark: Geoff's input, and I got to know him really well over the course of making this, his input all happened before I arrived. I think his input was with the writers, with the producers, and with kind of guiding them in the right direction with the mythology. Once we got on set it was Martin's world. Martin was in charge.

My favorite moment was when I came for a test, because we also had to work out… Once Sinestro had the prosthetic, had the color, we had to work out how to light it, because different kinds of light would make the color fade or would make it look too purple. So we had to do screen tests where the light would be changing and we had to see what would be the the best way. And Geoff was at one of those. And I loved the moment when I was able to just go up to him and go, "What do you think?" and see him go, "Oh my God! That is exactly how I imagined him."

And then Geoff, I would ask him about the history and who Sinestro was, why he was the way he was, all of that. He was always around to talk to. But his input was probably more when the thing was being put together in pre-production.

Finally, I want to ask again about how you play so many different, unique characters, as that's what I really love about you as an actor. How do you choose your projects and differentiate your roles, and how do your career choices work in relation to your family?

Mark: Well, I love the idea of transformation. I come from the theater where you are allowed to experiment way more than you are on film. You can play old guys, young guys, you can play people from all over the world in theater, and you have weeks and weeks and weeks to rehearse that and get it right. So I've always been fascinated by playing something that's other than me. I wouldn't really know how to play myself, I don't think. I wouldn't trust that that was the right way to play it.

And that's why… the head of the Jordanian Secret Service [from Body of Lies], great. That's removed from me. Archy [from RocknRolla], a gangster, it's removed from me. I get to wear a wig. It transports with me to somewhere else. And the same is true with Sinestro. What I loved about him was the potential for transformation. And as an actor, that is the thing that I love most of all. Probably why I'm a character actor. As far as my family is concerned, they love everything I do. My boys are absolutely wild about Sinestro. And, of course, the irony is in my house the bad guy is the good guy.

A big thank you to Mark Strong and Warner Bros. It's an honor to speak with Mark every time and I'm always excited to see what he will do next. Green Lantern is playing in theaters now!

#sinestro #thaal sinestro #green lantern #green lantern corps #green lantern movie #mark strong

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Netflix’s Project Power, and the Creatures That Inspired Each Ability

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Spoilers for Project Power to follow

Not for nothing are we called Den Of Geek. So when we were given the chance to chat with Project Power directors Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost and discovered that for the film they basically became massive science and nature nerds in creating some of the effects, this was very much ‘our bag’.

Project Power imagines a world where a street drug, just known as ‘Power’ imbues the user with almost super-heroic abilities but for just five minutes. The trouble is, exactly what powers you are going to get can’t be predicted. Some get strength and speed, others get instant death.

Each person in Project Power is effected differently and Joost and Schulman explain that they used examples from the natural world to add to the realism of the piece.

“That was something that we developed with the writer Mattson Tomlin and with our VFX supervisor Ivan Moran,” says Joost. “It was really just a product of us wanting to understand how power works and what it did to the human body and where these powers came from. We really didn’t want it to be magic or an alien, something from outer space. We wanted it to be something that was at least kind of relatively grounded in reality. The more we researched these animal powers, we were like, “Oh my God, these things all exist in nature already. Why not just let ourselves be inspired by that?”

There are examples explained in the movie which sound incredibly cool – a man who runs as fast as a big cat, another who shoots sharp bones from under his skin like the real life so called ‘Wolverine Frog’. But it’s not all sunshine and roses.

“It all started from a desire to take superpowers and ask ourselves what would actually happen to your body if you had that ability? What would be the side effects?” Schulman explains. “In the world of Project Power, superpowers come with super side effects. If there are side effects, then that had us thinking of them as science-based superpowers. Then we asked ourselves, where could you actually get a superpower? Well, maybe it’s lying dormant in your DNA. If it’s in the animal kingdom, it could potentially be in a human strain, and maybe the pill just reawakens those abilities.”

It’s a smart starting point for a film that really leans into the idea, allowing for some amazingly fun set pieces. Joost and Schulman break down some of our favorite Power moments, characters and creature-based set pieces from the film.

(L-R) Henry Joost, Jamie Foxx and Ariel Schulman on set of Project Power

The invisible man

Early on in the movie we see a man carry out a bank robbery who appears almost invisible – he’s blending in with his backgrounds perfectly as he moves through the streets – chameleon-like, you might say, though the inspiration for his power was actually a fish.

“If you take, for example, the invisible guy who’s actually camouflage guy, we all know that in real life invisibility is not really a thing. But there are animals that have such sophisticated camouflage that they appear to be invisible, like the cuttle fish and different cephalopods and lizards,” Joost explains. “We really dove into, how does that animal produce that effect, and that’s what we were trying to replicate with the visual effects.”

“I don’t know if you can notice, but the patterns on his skin are meant to mimic the surface of ink pods that are on a squid’s exterior and those pods, which can produce any mixture of color, are reflections of its surroundings,” Schulman adds. “Whether the audience picks up on that or not, for us, it was the only way we could dig into a scene and figure out what was happening, if we could understand how it was working.”

The big bang

“Well, it’s a bit of a spoiler, but the inspiration for the final power of the film, I won’t even say whose it is, is the chemical reaction that occurs when you put two grapes in a microwave…” says Schulman. Yes that’s right, two grapes. We also won’t spoil exactly what happens, to whom and why, but it’s an explosive finale inspired not just by grapes but also an unusual creature.

“It’s an effect that occurs in the animal kingdom with this animal called the pistol shrimp, which basically moves so fast that it creates a bubble of air that becomes plasma,” he explains. “This is a tiny, little animal, but we were like, ‘What would it look like if you created that on a macroscale of a person?’”

The python

In one memorable action sequence Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s cop, Frank fights with a guy whose limbs seem to defy nature, bending in ways the human body usually doesn’t. The crazy thing about this scene is that much of it was done for real.

“That guy’s name is Xavier and he’s a dancer from New York City that we made a dance film with a few years ago,” says Schulman. “When it came time to figure out what power Joseph should fight and who was going to do it, we thought of Xavier because he naturally has this extraordinary ability to dislocate several joints in his arms.”

“We thought, Oh, that’s cool. Maybe we could turn that into a rubbery python power, where you can use that ability to strangle your foe like a snake does. Since he already did it, that checked another one of our boxes, which was trying to do as many of the action scenes practically as possible and then adding flourishes of CGI to that,” he explains.

The bulletproof cop

Gordon-Levitt’s power is one that’s particularly handy for a law man. When he takes the pill his skin thickens until it so strong it becomes impenetrable to bullets.

“It was inspired by two animals. It was inspired by the armadillo, which has the famously armored skin. Then it was also inspired by this microscopic creature called the tardigrade,” says Joost.

“It’s the most hardy organism on Earth. They find them underwater, deep sea, and in volcanoes. I think maybe they can even survive in space for certain amount of time. They’re also called water bears. They’re really cute. You can look them up. They’re invisible to the naked eye, but we gave Joe some homework on the tardigrade and armadillo to check out before.”

These tiny creatures even became part of the director’s aesthetic choices for Gordon-Levitts tranformation scenes.

“The patterns you see forming on his skin are very similar to the pattern of the tardigrade’s exterior,” Shulman explains.

Nature’s own hulk

“If you’re going to explore science-based versions of superpowers, you’ve got to figure out how to do a scientific version of the Hulk,” laughs Schulman. He’s referring to the painful-looking power bestowed on ‘Project Power’ boss ‘Biggie’ played by Rodrigo Santoro.

“That one was actually really tough. I don’t know that we have a specific animal version, although it’s a hyper-speed version of the growth any animal goes through and the growing pains that any animal endures,” says Schulman.

“It was inspired by conditions like gigantism and Marfan syndrome and stuff like that where the body is growing uncontrollably,” Joost explains.

“Mike Marino who did the special effects makeup, really had fun with that. I think he’s got six nipples, three eyeballs and nostrils…” [The Hulk, not Mike Marino, we assume]

“The Hulk is awesome, but the Hulk grows so uniformly that he looks like Mr. Universe. We thought it would be interesting if a huge man grew uncontrollably and at random, and that it hurt a lot,” adds Schulman. “That was something Rodrigo, the actor, thought he could really work with, which is the pain of growing that big and what it does to your clothes. That hurts the most when you’re a dandy.”

“That’s right. Sharen Davis, who is the costume designer, put him in a suit,” Joost explains. “If you look really closely, it’s got this cross-hatched material that expands. It’s designed to get bigger, but he gets so much bigger than his clothes, he still rips through them. If you look closely, you can see that he was anticipating that maybe he would grow big that night.”

Running hot and cold

Two major set pieces in Project Power involve extremes of the same power – that of thermoregulation and what happens if it goes wrong. It’s showcased with the character of Newt (Machine Gun Kelly) and later with a character known as ‘frozen girl’. He explodes, she freezes to death in spectacular style.

“They’re actually opposite sides of the same spectrum, the power of thermoregulation, which almost every animal in the animal kingdom has. It’s the ability to maintain your body temperature in extreme scenarios,” Schulman explains. “Some animals can do it better than others. A polar bear can keep itself regulated in freezing cold. But if you’ve taken too much power or you have a bad reaction, it’ll go bonkers.”

“The idea was what would happen if your thermoregulations went completely out of control,” says Joost. “This is stuff I don’t expect anybody to pick up on, but, with Newt, if you look really closely at some of those shots of him right before he catches on fire, you’ll see that there’s superheated steam shooting out of his pores.”

The Newt sequence occurs at the start of the movie and it was a key introduction to the world of Project Power.

“In our initial pitch to Netflix, we said, ‘With the first power in the movie, the fire guy, we’re going to set the bar for realism right away. The idea is that we’d like to come as close to setting the actor on fire as possible. CGI fire isn’t what we’re looking for here.’” Schulman explains.

“The ultimate solution was a full-burn bodysuit, integrated with LED lights to cast interactive light. After every performance by Machine Gun Kelly, a stuntman would step in, having watched the monitor, and would imitate his exact movements in bursts of 10 seconds, completely on fire.

“It was extraordinarily time consuming and lasted about a week for that two- or three-minute sequence. Ultimately, we had real fire in a real location. A lot of the people we’d worked with said they hadn’t seen that or done that in 20, 30 years.”

Schulman says this death, and that of the girl freezing to death – which he describes as a really intricate process – were the ones he was most proud of.

“Those were huge learning experiences for us,” he says. “I think, Henry, we, more or less, achieved what we’d initially imagined in our heads, which doesn’t always happen.”

Joost concurs: “Yeah, I’m happy where it ended up.”

Project Power is available to stream now on Netflix.

The post Netflix’s Project Power, and the Creatures That Inspired Each Ability appeared first on Den of Geek.

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endenogatai · 5 years

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Meet the European startups that pitched at EF’s 11th Demo Day in London

Entrepreneur First (EF), the company builder and “talent first” investor, held its eleventh Demo Day in London this afternoon. The event included newly formed startups from EF’s London, Berlin and Paris cohorts, and represented a showcase of the investor’s now pan-European reach.

Once again, the pitches took place in front of a near-overcapacity crowd at King’s Place in London’s King Cross area, and this time around saw a 29 startups pitch their wares to investors, press and other actors in the European tech scene.

EF stands out from the many other demo days that the U.K. capital city hosts because of the way the investor backs individuals “pre-team, pre-idea” — meaning that the companies pitching only came into existence during the three programmes and perhaps may never have seen the light of day without the founders bashing heads at EF.

The latest demo days also comes shortly after EF announced it has raised a $115 million new fund led by a number of leading (mostly unnamed) institutional investors across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including new anchor LP Trusted Insight. A number of well-known European entrepreneurs also invested including Taavet Hinrikus (co-founder of TransferWise), Alex Chesterman (co-founder of Zoopla) and EF alumnus Rob Bishop (who co-founded Magic Pony Technology, which was bought by Twitter for a reported $150 million in 2016).

See also: EF raises $115M new fund, aiming to create another 300-plus startups in the next three years

This new fund — which EF said is one the largest pre-seed funds ever raised — will enable the talent investor to back more than 2,200 individuals who join its various programs over the next three years. EF currently operates in Bangalore, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Paris.

Meanwhile, the themes for EF’s eleventh London Demo Day continued to reflect the company builder’s focus on recruiting the best technical and domain expert talent — both recent graduates and also people already working at tech companies. They spanned practically every gamut of tech sector you could think of.

After enduring 29 rounds of ‘pitchlash’ (up from 24 last time), TechCrunch’s picks, chosen by Editor-at-Large Mike Butcher, who attended, are as follows:

FabricNano Fast Biotechnologies Blazar Alcemy Semblr Arthronica SpeakAi Vine Health Seyo Rosecut CogniScent Neoplants

Here’s the full list of presenting teams (in their own words) with some informal notes Mike made live at the event:

FabricNano – LONDON

FabricNano designs artificial cells that produce chemicals 100x faster.

TechCrunch comment: Fermentation of things like beer has been around for thousands of years. It’s now powering the global chemicals market. But we still rely on living cells to do the hard work. Improving the living cell by 1% would save the chemical plant millions of dollars a day. This startup makes an artificial living cell which is highly efficient. The cost has come down to do this. The founders have a history in mechanical engineering and DNA. They have chemical companies testing with them, and have filed some patents. They are raising £1.5m to accelerate this whole idea. Strong pitch!

Fast Biotechnologies – BERLIN

Fast Biotechnologies revolutionizes healthcare by enabling accurate diagnosis of life-threatening infections in minutes instead of days.

TechCrunch comment: Scepsis is killing people almost as much as cancer, globally. But detecting it is slow, and people die waiting for results. This startup uses a bacterium to detect it faster, and it’s the direct result of the founder’s PhD work. It’s already being tested in the lab. The founder didn’t say how much they are raising…

Leakmited – PARIS

Leakmited detects water leaks from space.

TechCrunch comment: Sounds cool huh?! Only 6% of water is good for human consumption and we waste a lot of it in leaks. 50 billion euros worth. Fixing leaks is easy, but finding them is tough and the tech hasn’t changed in years. The idea is that leaks change the properties of the ground, which can then be detected from space using pattern recognition, up to an accuracy of 20 meters which is a 1000% improvement. They will pilot this tech in France. Strong team, strong pitch. I’m wondering if this would be relatively easily replicable by a satellite company?

Candu – LONDON

Candu is a learning platform within your app, empowering you to upskill and retain your customers.

TechCrunch comment: Ex-Stanford founder pitches a learning platform that upskills users as they use the product. On the job training for this century. This decreases churn and improves the results. Well-trained customers are more likely to use and renew a Saas product. One of the co-founders helped build Coursera, so they have history in this space.

Blazar – PARIS

Blazar uses machine learning to predict cancer response to immunotherapy.

TechCrunch comment: Treating blood cancer better with ML-based prediction. They have a team which has built previous ML products and the co-founder who presented has been a cancer researcher for the last 14 years. This is sort of weaponizing the immune system against cancer. No mention of the money they want to raise.

Alcemy – BERLIN

Alcemy’s quality prediction AI enables cement and concrete producers to cut costs and carbon emissions.

TechCrunch comment: We make a lot of concrete on this planet. It can be a complex thing. But it’s often made stronger than it needs to be. Until recently it took a month to test the strength of the concrete. So they tend to make it too strong, and this also creates MORE carbon emissions. Instead, this solution test concrete quality in 40 minutes. Not bad, huh. The prototype has been tested with partners. They think they could save all the UK’s carbon emission. Strong pitch and thank god someone is thinking about the environment for a change…

Presscast – LONDON

Presscast is a new kind of advertising that is organic and scalable.

TechCrunch comment: Programmatic ads have ruined online content (don’t we know it)… Media doesn’t scale like tech. Content marketing plus programmatic. They call it “Natural language advertising”. This looks at articles online, and inserts your lines of text into the article. (I hate this already…). Finextra did this. They launched a week ago and have 500 publishers now. I’d love to know this list! Strangely they did not include whether or not the advert is flagged as such, which is worrying. They are raising a seed round.

Arthronica – LONDON

Arthronica is an AI monitoring and rehabilitation platform.

TechCrunch comment: Addressing a costly and chronic condition: Arthritis. Costs healthcare a lot of cash globally. Capturing data for treatment is expensive and has to happen face to face. Their AI architecture uses a smart phone camera to read the person’s muscle movements and then assess the level of treatment needed. I think this is a great idea and a natural use of ML in cameras / smartphones.

Semblr Technologies – LONDON

Semblr automates building construction using small, swarming robots.

TechCrunch comment: Robots! Using a big robot to build a house is inefficient. Use small ones! The first robot automates bricklaying. There is high demand for houses, but the workforce is not there. Previous bricklaying robots, they are WAY too big. A swarm of robots the size of a cat can build it faster. BaaS – Bricklaying as a service. LULZ. Cofounders are an ex-architect and ML expert. They are testing on real sites. Sounds convincing.

Packetai – PARIS

PacketAI uses AI to automate IT Operations.

TechCrunch comment: Resolving IT incidents using ML! Save lots of money! Crucial stuff but hard to make interesting in a pitch…

Nostos Genomics – BERLIN

Nostos Genomics uses CRISPR to unlock genomics-based medicine.

TechCrunch comment: Genetic diseases are more common than you think. But to get a treatment you need assessment and 70 percent of genetic tests fail. Their solution claims to be way more efficient at assessing genetic diagnoses.

Deltablock – PARIS

DeltaBlock adapts traditional capital liquidity services for Digital Assets.

TechCrunch comment: Sounds like a blockchain pitch which doesn’t want to mention the word blockchain… Surprise! Ok they mentioned it once. This is a market-maker for digital assets, like in traditional markets. Aiming at 100 billion Euro market. Starting in Switzerland, of course. They are raising in fiat money… Hard to assess this one.

Reallm – LONDON

Business intelligence for the supply-side of marketplaces.

TechCrunch comment: We understand the demand side of this world but the suppliers often get forgotten. So take Uber or something and they spot where user demand is being missed by lack of supply of drivers. This is a way for drivers or similar to work out where they can work more efficiently.

Panakeia Technologies – LONDON

Panakeia makes cancer diagnosis simpler, faster and cheaper by eliminating the need for multiple tests.

TechCrunch comment: Cancer diagnosis can take a month and is expensive. They do this by running ML over images of biopsies. Already have several test partners. Seems like a strong team.

Speak Ai – LONDON

The world’s most expressive and realistic artificial voices.

TechCrunch comment: This was the spookiest pitch of the day! The idea being that you could use this artificial voice inside video games. Saving enormous amounts of money. 5 paid pilots already. Voice in the video games industry is huge. Makes it as easy to edit voice as videos. “A photoshop for voice.” Impressive stuff.

Vine Health Digital – LONDON

Vine Health’s platform uses behavioral science and AI to increase the survival of cancer patients.

TechCrunch comment: If you make things hard or easier you have big consequences (fake flies in urinals etc). If you nudge a patient into better behavior they have better outcomes. They have trials with partners already. Co-founders are rather well qualified! Great advisory board. 95% of patients on-board. Excellent results from patients. This is a startup to watch.

CirPlus – BERLIN

CirPlus is the global marketplace for recycled materials.

TechCrunch comment: Make it EASY to buy recycled plastics rather than hard. Have had EU funding. Passionate founder.

Nanovery – LONDON

Nanovery is developing nanorobots to diagnose the world’s deadliest diseases.

TechCrunch comment: Detect cancer using a simple blood test? Have we heard this before? No – they are building a search function using nano-robots. Their nano-robots are cheaper, they say. Very hard to assess this, but it sounds good.

Seyo – LONDON

Seyo enables machines to cooperate autonomously in extreme environments without the internet.

TechCrunch comment: Machines don’t have a global clock and one microsecond out can throw a system. So Seyo creates a logical sequence which is not time-based. It means the machines can work off the grid. They can be used in heavy industries like mining, where there are many fatalities.

Rosecut Technologies – LONDON

Rosecut is a digital private bank that offers bespoke, regulated advice in real-time.

TechCrunch comment: Wealth management! Always of interest to VCs… Rosecut wants to help the middle market, just under private equity. Traditional private banks require a lot of money. Rosecut is aiming at these guys. Already have $4.3m worth of assets ready to on-board. Likely to be regulated by the FCA in the next few months. Founder Qiaojia was a former ace asset adviser.

SquareMind – PARIS

SquareMind allows robots to make skin cancer detection more accurate and accessible.

TechCrunch comment: 3D construction software for full body mapping, able to track the growth of moles on the body using off the shelf robots. Prototypes and patents.

Intropic – LONDON

Intropic provides data refineries for investment management firms.

TechCrunch comment: Asset managers are generally shit, lazy and inefficient. Hedge funds are already using Intropic. Because the world needs more efficient hedge funds…

Flowlity – PARIS

Flowlity’s mission is to bring Amazon supply chain efficiency to the rest of the world.

TechCrunch comment: Many industrial players lack the time to do this well, and don’t scale at the level of Amazon. This startup claims to address this. No more overstocks, shortages and lost sales. The team was in this space before.

Omini – PARIS

Omini brings lab testing closer to the patient.

TechCrunch comment: Faster blood testing. (Yes, another one). Biosensing devices for immediate blood tests. Their first product measures infections and inflammations. THANKFULLY they mentioned the huge disaster in this industry and made sure people knew they were different.

Sense Street – LONDON

Sense Street innovates capital market communications.

TechCrunch comment: Freeing the information that’s in chat rooms about capital markets with ML. They can pull sentiment out of the chat rooms and give clients better insight. So that’s nice.

QantEv – PARIS

QantEv optimizes provider networks for health insurers.

TechCrunch comment: Probably sounds great if you’re a health insurer… rather indecipherable to the rest of us.

Morta – LONDON

Morta digitizes and automatically enforces construction rules.

TechCrunch comment: Building documents are in PDF and paper. This is a very old-fashioned industry. Mistakes creep in. Codifying the designs and rules reduces mistakes. Building industry wins!

CogniScent – BERLIN

CogniScent provides AI-guided early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.

TechCrunch comment: The lack of a sense of smell is a key indicator of neurodegenerative diseases. So you take a smell test, fill out a test and the result claims to be a 90% accurate prediction of a neurodegenerative disease.

Neoplants – PARIS

Neoplants use synthetic biology to design plants for the future.

TechCrunch comment: Problem: You spend a lot of time indoors and indoor air pollution is much worse than outdoors, because of VOCs. Air purifiers are bullshit. And green plants have ZERO impact on air quality. So their indoor plant is biologically engineered to capture VCOs and process them. Patents galore. You could also use these to capture carbon outdoors. Where do I buy one?!

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toomanysinks · 5 years

Text

Meet the European startups that pitched at EF’s 11th Demo Day in London

Once again, the pitches took place in front of a near-overcapacity crowd at King’s Place in London’s King Cross area, and this time saw 29 startups pitch their wares to investors, press and other actors in the European tech scene.

The latest demo days also comes shortly after EF announced it has raised a $115 million new fund led by a number of leading (mostly unnamed) institutional investors across the U.S., Europe and Asia, including new anchor LP Trusted Insight. A number of well-known European entrepreneurs also invested, including Taavet Hinrikus (co-founder of TransferWise), Alex Chesterman (co-founder of Zoopla) and EF alumnus Rob Bishop (who co-founded Magic Pony Technology, which was bought by Twitter for a reported $150 million in 2016).

See also: EF raises $115M new fund, aiming to create another 300-plus startups in the next three years

This new fund — which EF said is one of the largest pre-seed funds ever raised — will enable the talent investor to back more than 2,200 individuals who join its various programs over the next three years. EF currently operates in Bangalore, Berlin, Hong Kong, London, Singapore and Paris.

After enduring 29 rounds of “pitchlash” (up from 24 last time), TechCrunch’s picks, chosen by Editor-at-Large Mike Butcher, who attended, are as follows:

FabricNano Fast Biotechnologies Blazar Alcemy Semblr Arthronica SpeakAi Vine Health Seyo Rosecut CogniScent Neoplants

Here’s the full list of presenting teams (in their own words) with some informal notes Mike made live at the event:

FabricNano – LONDON

FabricNano designs artificial cells that produce chemicals 100x faster.

Fast Biotechnologies – BERLIN

Fast Biotechnologies revolutionizes healthcare by enabling accurate diagnosis of life-threatening infections in minutes instead of days.

Leakmited – PARIS

Leakmited detects water leaks from space.

Candu – LONDON

Candu is a learning platform within your app, empowering you to upskill and retain your customers.

Blazar – PARIS

Blazar uses machine learning to predict cancer response to immunotherapy.

Alcemy – BERLIN

Alcemy’s quality prediction AI enables cement and concrete producers to cut costs and carbon emissions.

Presscast – LONDON

Presscast is a new kind of advertising that is organic and scalable.

Arthronica – LONDON

Arthronica is an AI monitoring and rehabilitation platform.

Semblr Technologies – LONDON

Semblr automates building construction using small, swarming robots.

Packetai – PARIS

PacketAI uses AI to automate IT Operations.

TechCrunch comment: Resolving IT incidents using ML! Save lots of money! Crucial stuff but hard to make interesting in a pitch…

Nostos Genomics – BERLIN

Nostos Genomics uses CRISPR to unlock genomics-based medicine.

Deltablock – PARIS

DeltaBlock adapts traditional capital liquidity services for Digital Assets.

Reallm – LONDON

Business intelligence for the supply-side of marketplaces.

Panakeia Technologies – LONDON

Panakeia makes cancer diagnosis simpler, faster and cheaper by eliminating the need for multiple tests.

TechCrunch comment: Cancer diagnosis can take a month and is expensive. They do this by running ML over images of biopsies. Already have several test partners. Seems like a strong team.

Speak Ai – LONDON

The world’s most expressive and realistic artificial voices.

Vine Health Digital – LONDON

Vine Health’s platform uses behavioral science and AI to increase the survival of cancer patients.

CirPlus – BERLIN

CirPlus is the global marketplace for recycled materials.

TechCrunch comment: Make it EASY to buy recycled plastics rather than hard. Have had EU funding. Passionate founder.

Nanovery – LONDON

Nanovery is developing nanorobots to diagnose the world’s deadliest diseases.

Seyo – LONDON

Seyo enables machines to cooperate autonomously in extreme environments without the internet.

Rosecut Technologies – LONDON

Rosecut is a digital private bank that offers bespoke, regulated advice in real-time.

SquareMind – PARIS

SquareMind allows robots to make skin cancer detection more accurate and accessible.

TechCrunch comment: 3D construction software for full body mapping, able to track the growth of moles on the body using off the shelf robots. Prototypes and patents.

Intropic – LONDON

Intropic provides data refineries for investment management firms.

TechCrunch comment: Asset managers are generally shit, lazy and inefficient. Hedge funds are already using Intropic. Because the world needs more efficient hedge funds…

Flowlity – PARIS

Flowlity’s mission is to bring Amazon supply chain efficiency to the rest of the world.

Omini – PARIS

Omini brings lab testing closer to the patient.

Sense Street – LONDON

Sense Street innovates capital market communications.

TechCrunch comment: Freeing the information that’s in chat rooms about capital markets with ML. They can pull sentiment out of the chat rooms and give clients better insight. So that’s nice.

QantEv – PARIS

QantEv optimizes provider networks for health insurers.

TechCrunch comment: Probably sounds great if you’re a health insurer… rather indecipherable to the rest of us.

Morta – LONDON

Morta digitizes and automatically enforces construction rules.

TechCrunch comment: Building documents are in PDF and paper. This is a very old-fashioned industry. Mistakes creep in. Codifying the designs and rules reduces mistakes. Building industry wins!

CogniScent – BERLIN

CogniScent provides AI-guided early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.

Neoplants – PARIS

Neoplants use synthetic biology to design plants for the future.

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/03/27/ef11/

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fmservers · 5 years

Text

Meet the European startups that pitched at EF’s 11th Demo Day in London

See also: EF raises $115M new fund, aiming to create another 300-plus startups in the next three years

After enduring 29 rounds of ‘pitchlash’ (up from 24 last time), TechCrunch’s picks, chosen by Editor-at-Large Mike Butcher, who attended, are as follows:

FabricNano Fast Biotechnologies Blazar Alcemy Semblr Arthronica SpeakAi Vine Health Seyo Rosecut CogniScent Neoplants

Here’s the full list of presenting teams (in their own words) with some informal notes Mike made live at the event:

FabricNano – LONDON

FabricNano designs artificial cells that produce chemicals 100x faster.

Fast Biotechnologies – BERLIN

Fast Biotechnologies revolutionizes healthcare by enabling accurate diagnosis of life-threatening infections in minutes instead of days.

Leakmited – PARIS

Leakmited detects water leaks from space.

Candu – LONDON

Candu is a learning platform within your app, empowering you to upskill and retain your customers.

Blazar – PARIS

Blazar uses machine learning to predict cancer response to immunotherapy.

Alcemy – BERLIN

Alcemy’s quality prediction AI enables cement and concrete producers to cut costs and carbon emissions.

Presscast – LONDON

Presscast is a new kind of advertising that is organic and scalable.

Arthronica – LONDON

Arthronica is an AI monitoring and rehabilitation platform.

Semblr Technologies – LONDON

Semblr automates building construction using small, swarming robots.

Packetai – PARIS

PacketAI uses AI to automate IT Operations.

TechCrunch comment: Resolving IT incidents using ML! Save lots of money! Crucial stuff but hard to make interesting in a pitch…

Nostos Genomics – BERLIN

Nostos Genomics uses CRISPR to unlock genomics-based medicine.

Deltablock – PARIS

DeltaBlock adapts traditional capital liquidity services for Digital Assets.

Reallm – LONDON

Business intelligence for the supply-side of marketplaces.

Panakeia Technologies – LONDON

Panakeia makes cancer diagnosis simpler, faster and cheaper by eliminating the need for multiple tests.

TechCrunch comment: Cancer diagnosis can take a month and is expensive. They do this by running ML over images of biopsies. Already have several test partners. Seems like a strong team.

Speak Ai – LONDON

The world’s most expressive and realistic artificial voices.

Vine Health Digital – LONDON

Vine Health’s platform uses behavioral science and AI to increase the survival of cancer patients.

CirPlus – BERLIN

CirPlus is the global marketplace for recycled materials.

TechCrunch comment: Make it EASY to buy recycled plastics rather than hard. Have had EU funding. Passionate founder.

Nanovery – LONDON

Nanovery is developing nanorobots to diagnose the world’s deadliest diseases.

Seyo – LONDON

Seyo enables machines to cooperate autonomously in extreme environments without the internet.

Rosecut Technologies – LONDON

Rosecut is a digital private bank that offers bespoke, regulated advice in real-time.

SquareMind – PARIS

SquareMind allows robots to make skin cancer detection more accurate and accessible.

TechCrunch comment: 3D construction software for full body mapping, able to track the growth of moles on the body using off the shelf robots. Prototypes and patents.

Intropic – LONDON

Intropic provides data refineries for investment management firms.

TechCrunch comment: Asset managers are generally shit, lazy and inefficient. Hedge funds are already using Intropic. Because the world needs more efficient hedge funds…

Flowlity – PARIS

Flowlity’s mission is to bring Amazon supply chain efficiency to the rest of the world.

Omini – PARIS

Omini brings lab testing closer to the patient.

Sense Street – LONDON

Sense Street innovates capital market communications.

TechCrunch comment: Freeing the information that’s in chat rooms about capital markets with ML. They can pull sentiment out of the chat rooms and give clients better insight. So that’s nice.

QantEv – PARIS

QantEv optimizes provider networks for health insurers.

TechCrunch comment: Probably sounds great if you’re a health insurer… rather indecipherable to the rest of us.

Morta – LONDON

Morta digitizes and automatically enforces construction rules.

TechCrunch comment: Building documents are in PDF and paper. This is a very old-fashioned industry. Mistakes creep in. Codifying the designs and rules reduces mistakes. Building industry wins!

CogniScent – BERLIN

CogniScent provides AI-guided early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.

Neoplants – PARIS

Neoplants use synthetic biology to design plants for the future.

Via Mike Butcher https://techcrunch.com

#TechCrunch

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coin-river-blog · 6 years

Link

Op-Ed

The following op-ed on crypto privacy was written by Reuben Yap. He is the Chief Operations Officer of Zcoin. A corporate lawyer for ten years, specializing in institutional frameworks, Reuben founded one of SE Asia’s top VPN companies, bolehvpn.net. He graduated with a LLB from the University of Nottingham.

One of blockchain’s most notable and valued features is its transparency. In the original Bitcoin whitepaper, Satoshi Nakamoto described bitcoin as an ‘electronic coin’ with a ‘chain of digital signatures’, the history of ownership documented permanently and publicly. This idea of globally accessible financial records is a bold move away from the traditional banking system. This is precisely why privacy is an essential topic within the crypto ecosystem.

Also read: Bitfinex Introduces Top Secret Banking System

Privacy and The Cypherpunks

In the Cypherpunk Manifesto of 1993, Eric Hughes writes that “we cannot expect governments, corporations, or other large, faceless organizations to grant us privacy … we must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any.” Built upon the philosophies of generations before them, the self-named cypherpunks were a group of activists advocating for cryptography and technologies that enhanced our privacy, which they believed was ‘necessary for an open society in the electronic age.” The movement was sustained by a regular mailing list that discussed ideas and policies relating to privacy, government monitoring, control of information and anonymity.

In 2008, Satoshi Nakamoto reignited this cypherpunk movement, giving a nod to the technology which emerged from the 90s cypherpunk era, such as Hashcash and b-money. The Bitcoin whitepaper itself notes that online privacy can be maintained by breaking the flow of information through anonymous public keys (cryptography). Satoshi’s Bitcoin was intended to be a “censorship-resistant” currency. The development of Bitcoin has indeed helped organizations like Wikileaks when governments cut them off from fiat-based donations. Notably, Wikileaks cypherpunk founder Julian Assange is still living in asylum in London’s Ecuadorian Embassy, awaiting charges by the U.S. government for publishing classified government documents.

While Bitcoin’s pseudo-anonymity was Satoshi’s solution for the individual’s right to financial privacy, the transparency of its blockchain is now proving to be a potentially dangerous flaw. As the flow of bitcoin to and from wallet addresses can be viewed by anyone, those with malicious motivations and the technical skill can uncover — and threaten — your real-world identity.

Bitcoin’s Privacy Flaw

Studies show that bitcoin transactions can be linked to individuals. Personal information can be interpreted and collected from blockchain data, exposing identities with potentially grave consequences. Researchers from Qatar University and the Hamad Bin Khalifa University found that “bitcoin addresses can be exploited to deanonymize users” and that an “address should always be assumed compromised.”

Additional studies conducted by ETH Zurich University and NEC Laboratories in Germany show that 40 percent of bitcoin users could be revealed in a simulated experiment where the digital currency was used to support daily transactions of university users.

More extreme consequences of this privacy flaw are emerging. Kidnappings and robberies targeting crypto users are becoming more commonplace in countries like Russia and Ukraine. The creator of the Prism cryptocurrency was beaten and robbed of his laptop which had 300 BTC stored on it. He was then forced to drink a pill with vodka that hospitalized him, so he wouldn’t be able to seek help from police straight away.

There is a vital need for the blockchain ecosystem to develop multiple anonymity solutions for cryptocurrency so that we can protect individual privacy and security. Without Tor or Dandelion protocols, for example, a person’s IP address can be linked to their wallet addresses. Privacy coins and their protocols work to address these flaws.

Breaking the Privacy Coin Stigma

Unfortunately, privacy coins have often been associated with illicit and illegal activity. Bitcoin itself was propelled into the media due to its associated use on the infamous Silk Road website and darknet, and claims that cryptocurrencies enable money laundering are rampant, albeit heavily exaggerated.

Some governments have even decided to ban privacy coins. In June, the Japanese Financial Security Agency (FSA) outlawed any cryptocurrencies that provide anonymity to users in an attempt to eliminate bad actors operating within the space. The ramifications could be far-reaching, as this decision may only end up pushing these kinds of cryptocurrencies into underground, unregulated territory, beyond the reach of the law or financial intermediaries.

While governments cannot effectively control or monitor any kind of peer-to-peer digital currency, they can still build suitable laws and regulations around them. In a regulated system, cryptocurrency exchanges and brokers must implement thorough Know Your Customer (KYC) and Anti Money Laundering (AML) practices, which in theory should deter criminal activity, as it does in the traditional financial system.

And just as we expect our financial histories and interactions to be kept private in traditional banking, the same should apply with cryptocurrency. The right to financial privacy should naturally extend itself to the blockchain, regardless of its potential to facilitate money laundering or illicit behavior.

Cryptocurrency has the potential to bring much-needed change to the world. Now we need anonymization mechanisms to ensure that our financial activity does not erode our privacy or endanger us.

Privacy Is a Basic Civil Right

We are all entitled to full financial privacy. This privacy bolsters our civil rights; the freedom to transact as we wish – without fear of exposure, consequence or persecution – and allows us to express full autonomy. The things we buy, the people we transact with, or where we choose to donate money is personal to us, yet can often be used to discriminate against us.

Buying a particular medicine, such as contraceptive pills, can be a dangerous affair for some women who come from backgrounds or cultures which forbid them. Those living with chronic illness, such as HIV, require lifelong medication. This information can be used to discriminate against people; as studies reveal, a person’s HIV status can lead to loss of their job or source of income if discovered.

As transactions on a blockchain are publicly visible and permanent, these could turn into a tool for surveillance and control, especially with authoritarian governments. In an era with increasing digital payments, as seen with the rise of Alipay and Wechat Pay in China, an individual’s purchase history can be used to categorize them. This is used as an ongoing rollout of China’s social credit system, where even buying diapers can give you a higher social score. To compound things, a low social score can have wide-ranging ramifications, from eligibility to loans, being barred from traveling to stigmatization.

Governments Can Seize Bank Accounts and Freeze Funds

Governments have the power to freeze and drain bank accounts without consent, or even seize cryptocurrencies if there is a connection to illicit activity. This is not a problem we face with physical cash, where whoever receives it doesn’t have to care where it is from and how it is used because of its fungibility. But even governments considered ‘benign’ have been known to exploit their power to seize money.

In the United Kingdom, banks were ordered to freeze the accounts of suspected illegal immigrants “hiding” in the country, making a “hostile environment” to force them out of the country. In 2013, the Cyprus government withdrew up to 10 percent of every citizens bank accounts to help with their austerity measures. Over the past decade, the US Drug Enforcement Administration has seized more than $4 billion from citizens due to suspicions of criminal activity. Of these seizures, 81 percent were never formally charged. These are all examples of financial control.

Law enforcement agencies, governments and banks all hold unchecked power over our finances. Financial privacy enables citizens to resist this kind of oppression. We can make cryptocurrency fungible by preventing its traceability and enhancing its privacy. This will protect our civil rights, making it harder for authorities of any kind to seize our money.

Greater Ownership of Financial Data

Privacy also enables us to have greater control over our personal financial data. We live in a system where disclosing this financial information is often mandatory, for example when paying taxes, applying for loans, or even when buying things online. There are various actors such as charities or political candidates who seek out this financial data, commercializing it as a tool to often manipulate us, while marketing companies target demographics based on income.

The exposure of this financial information, however, can lead to much more devastating consequences, such as identity theft and financial fraud. In the first half of 2016 alone, identity theft accounted for 64 percent of all data breaches. Statistics provided by Kaspersky Lab also show that 52 percent of internet users never fully recover their money stolen by cyber-criminals.

Many centralized cryptocurrency exchanges link your real identity to your crypto wallet address, with this sensitive information vulnerable to hacks. If malicious actors were to obtain this information, all your cryptocurrency transactions would be exposed and likely this information could be used in some undesirable way. There are even companies, like Chainalysis and Elliptic, which specifically aim to link identities to wallet addresses. While these teams claim to be targeting money laundering and cyber-criminals, all collected information is stored on a singular, centralized database.

As cryptocurrency begins to enter the mainstream, we need to secure our financial data to ensure our personal information does not fall into the wrong hands. Similarly, businesses may want to keep their suppliers, customers or partners private, for example to hide these details from competitors. Greater privacy on the blockchain eliminates this risk.

Shaping a New Economy

Everyone is entitled to financial privacy and protection of their personal data. We can restructure a new global economy that is founded on financial freedom and security. Cryptocurrencies that offer anonymization mechanisms will ensure everyone is granted these rights, while also defending against malicious actors.

The result is an economic system that will value both privacy and transparency. Our digital lives will be secured, while the blockchain will continue to hold us accountable.

Do you think Bitcoin’s privacy is flawed? Should having a fully private cryptocurrency be imperative?

Images courtesy of Shutterstock

OP-ed disclaimer: This is an Op-ed article. The opinions expressed in this article are the author’s own. Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support views, opinions or conclusions drawn in this post. Bitcoin.com is not responsible for or liable for any content, accuracy or quality within the Op-ed article. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the content. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any information in this Op-ed article.

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technato · 6 years

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Video Friday: Science Lab Robot, Will Smith’s Android Date, and Soft Robotic Gripper

Your weekly selection of awesome robot videos

Image: Soft Robotics

Video Friday is your weekly selection of awesome robotics videos, collected by your Automaton bloggers. We’ll also be posting a weekly calendar of upcoming robotics events for the next few months; here’s what we have so far (send us your events!):

US National Robotics Week – April 7-17, 2018 – United States

Xconomy Robo Madness – April 12, 2018 – Bedford, Mass., USA

NASA Swarmathon – April 17-19, 2018 – Kennedy Space Center, Fla., USA

RoboSoft 2018 – April 24-28, 2018 – Livorno, Italy

ICARSC 2018 – April 25-27, 2018 – Torres Vedras, Portugal

NASA Robotic Mining Competition – May 14-18, 2018 – Kennedy Space Center, Fla., USA

ICRA 2018 – May 21-25, 2018 – Brisbane, Australia

RSS 2018 – June 26-30, 2018 – Pittsburgh, Pa., USA

Ubiquitous Robots 2018 – June 27-30, 2018 – Honolulu, Hawaii

Let us know if you have suggestions for next week, and enjoy today’s videos.

As far as I can tell, biologists spend the vast majority of their time moving tiny amounts of liquid around in order to maybe possibly eventually do a little bit of analysis that could lead to some Real Science. Opentrons has announced their OT-2 lab robot, which will enable biologists to instead spend the vast majority of their time simply worrying about whether those tiny amounts of liquid have interesting stuff going on in them or not.

$4,000 in a context like this is basically nothing. For many labs, this could mean that everyone gets their own robot, and if it’s a significant productivity boost, it’ll be totally worth it.

[ Opentrons ]

Cybersecurity experts have a new tool in the fight against hackers —a decoy robot. Researchers at Georgia Tech built the “HoneyBot” to lure hackers into thinking they had taken control of a robot, but instead the robot gathers valuable information about the bad actors, helping businesses better protect themselves from future attacks.

The gadget can be monitored and controlled through the internet. But unlike other remote-controlled robots, the HoneyBot’s special ability is tricking its operators into thinking it is performing one task, when in reality it’s doing something completely different.

In a factory setting, such a HoneyBot robot could sit motionless in a corner, springing to life when a hacker gains access—a visual indicator that a malicious actor is targeting the facility. Rather than allowing the hacker to then run amok in the physical world, the robot could be designed to follow certain commands deemed harmless—such as meandering slowly about or picking up objects —but stopping short of actually doing anything dangerous.

[ Georgia Tech ]

SNU Soft Robotics Research Center led by Professor CHO Kyu-Jin at the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering has developed an origami-inspired robotic arm that is foldable, self-folding and also highly-rigid. (The researchers include Suk-Jun Kim, Dae-Young Lee, Gwang-Pil Jung, Professor of SeoulTech).

The researchers developed a novel robotic arm using a concept of variable stiffness. The robotic arm made it possible to change the shape with a single wire, thus raising the possibility of practical use of the origami structure. The robotic arm is light-weighted, and can fold flat and extend like an automatic umbrella and even becomes instantly stiff.

Benefits of the foldable robotic arm can be maximized when it is attached to drones where the weight and the size constraints are the most extreme. In the video, the drone unfolds the robotic arm, picks up an object in the ditch, and films the trees. When the robotic arm is not in use, it folds flat for convenient maneuvering, easy take-off and landing. The proposed variable stiffness mechanism can be applied to other types of robots and structures in extreme environments such as polar area, desert, underwater, and space.

[ SNU ] via [ Science Robotics ]

Meet SuperPick: The first autonomous soft robotic solution designed specifically for e-commerce and retail logistics environments. SuperPick combines the power of soft robotics with artificial intelligence to enable automation of highly unstructured tasks like bin picking, sorting, and order fulfillment.

See it next month at MODEX.

[ Soft Robotics ] via [ TechCrunch ]

Things get awkward when Will meets Sophia the Robot for an intimate conversation in the Cayman Islands.

[ Hansen Robotics ] via [ YouTube ]

I don’t know about you, but Howie is one of the most realistic self-storage helper bots I’ve ever seen.

Even in the U.K., it’s only March 30. WE’RE NOT READY FOR APRIL 1 YET.

[ Howie ]

Introducing the newest addition to the Trailer Valet family: The RVR Series. Our first self-motorized and remote-controlled series of units, the RVR is designed to take the chore out of moving your trailer.

Huh. I didn’t realize this was a problem, but I approve of the solution.

[ Trailer Valet ]

One way to reliably get a robot to identify a rabbit:

One rabbit may have been mildly inconvenienced during the making of this video.

[ Emys ]

Thanks Jan!

Raytheon UK Quadcopter Challenge National Final saw six schools from different UK regions compete against each other to become the 2017 Champion! Quadcopters were built and flown by students in this exciting engineering based challenge, fuelling their interest in STEM subjects.

[ Raytheon ]

TUDelft MavLab had its first autonomous flight beyond line of sight with its VTOL drone, which must have been nerve-wracking. But it’s all good, so yay!

[ TU Delft ]

Human-in-the-loop manipulation is useful in when autonomous grasping is not able to deal sufficiently well with corner cases or cannot operate fast enough. Using the teleoperator’s hand as an input device can provide an intuitive control method but requires mapping between pose spaces which may not be similar. We propose a low-dimensional and continuous teleoperation subspace which can be used as an intermediary for mapping between different hand pose spaces. We present an algorithm to project between pose space and teleoperation subspace. We use a non-anthropomorphic robot to experimentally prove that it is possible for teleoperation subspaces to effectively and intuitively enable teleoperation. In experiments, novice users completed pick and place tasks significantly faster using teleoperation subspace mapping than they did using state of the art teleoperation methods.

[ Paper ]

It’s so simple, but I would use this every day.

[ YouTube ]

Dr. Cynthia Breazeal, Chief Experience Officer and Co-Founder, Jibo, Inc. describes what makes Jibo different, and why this little robot represents something far bigger.

[ Jibo ]

Within the research project “On-Orbit Servicing – End-to-End Simulation”, the German Aerospace Center, DLR, demonstrates and simulates on-ground the final approach and the capturing of an uncontrolled target satellite.

I like the idea that the hardware for this is just going to be a rocket with a Kuka arm strapped to it.

[ DLR ]

Does your luggage transportation pipeline need robots? Of course it does.

[ Dorabot ]

Disney Research looks at people handing stuff to robots:

This work presents an exploratory user study of human-to-robot handovers. In particular, it examines how changes in a robot behavior influence human participation and the overall interaction. With a 2x2x2 experimental design, we vary three basic factors and observe both the interaction position and forces. We find the robot’s initial pose can inform the giver about the upcoming handover geometry and impact fluency and efficiency. Also, we find variations in grasp method and retraction speed induce significantly different interaction forces. This effect may occur by changing the giver’s perception of object safety and hence their release timing. Alternatively, it may stem from unnatural or mismatched robot movements. We determine that making the robot predictable is important: we observe a learning effect with forces declining over repeated trials. Simultaneously, the participants’ self-reported discomfort with the robot decreases and perception of emotional warmth increases. Thus, we posit users are learning to predict the robot, becoming more familiar with its behaviors, and perhaps becoming more trusting of the robot’s ability to safely receive the object. We find these results exciting as we believe a robot can become a trusted partner in collaborative tasks.

[ Disney Research ]

The next Mars-bound science robot, InSight, is launching in just a few weeks. Here’s an overview:

[ NASA ]

For more than a decade, the Cluster of Excellence CITEC has been working to build better bridges between humans and technology. CITEC researchers explain the aspects that make their Cluster unique.

[ CITEC ]

On this week’s episode of Robots in Depth, Per interviews Frank Tobe, founder of The Robot Report, now part of WTWH Media.

Frank Tobe shares his experience from covering robotics in The Robot Report and creating the index Robo-Stox. Frank talks about how and why he shifted to robotics and how looking for an investment opportunity in robotics lead him to start Robo-Stox (since renamed to ROBO Global), a robotics focused index company. Both companies have given Frank a unique perspective on the robotics scene as a whole, over a significant period of time, and we are pleased that he wanted to share some of his insights from that with us.

[ Robots in Depth ]

This week’s CMU RI Seminar comes from Oregon State’s Ravi Balasubramanian, on “Robotics-Inspired Implantable Passive Mechanisms to Surgically Re-Engineer the Human Body.”

Tendon-transfer surgeries are performed for a variety of conditions such as stroke, palsies, trauma, and congenital defects. The surgery involves re-routing a tendon from a nonfunctioning muscle to a functioning muscle to partially restore lost function. However, a fundamental aspect of the current surgery, namely the suture that attaches the tendon(s) to the muscles, can lead to poor post-surgery function. For example, in the hand tendon-transfer surgery for high median-ulnar palsy, one muscle is sutured to all four finger flexor tendons. This couples finger movement, prevents the fingers from adapting to an object’s shape while grasping, and leads to poor hand function overall. This project investigates the design and use of miniature passive differential mechanisms, such as pulleys and links, as implants to attach the muscles and tendons in place of the direct suture. Results from biomechanical simulations and human cadaver experiments show that the new surgical procedure results in significantly better hand function in terms of finger movement and reduced actuator-force requirement in grasping tasks. The long-term goal is to enable re-engineering the mechanics of movement and force transmission from within the body using robotic devices.

[ CMU RI ]

Video Friday: Science Lab Robot, Will Smith’s Android Date, and Soft Robotic Gripper syndicated from https://jiohowweb.blogspot.com

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