tech

NBA Bans Off-White Cream-Colored Uniforms Due To Effect On TV Screens

Posted on by Phil Lam X

The light-colored jersey blends right in with the floorboards—causing problems for digital advertisers.

Just when you thought companies couldn’t possibly shove more advertisements into your eye sockets, technology proved it was possible. Digital (or virtual) ads are promos inserted into media post-production or in real time. They first emerged in video games, then started creeping into TV shows on streaming platforms. And during the pandemic, digital ads began making their way onto the basketball court in NBA broadcasts.

On top of ensuring that nowhere in sports is safe from commercialization, the virtual ads have had at least one other, unintended side effect: They killed a well-loved team uniform. In a green screen-style snafu, certain jerseys were too close in color to the polished wooden floors of NBA arenas. Thus, digital ads ended up distorted by players wearing the offending outfits, as first reported by Paul Lukas, the uniform-obsessed aesthetics aficionado who writes the popular UniWatch newsletter.

Specifically, the proliferation of digital ads forced the Milwaukee Bucks’ to give up their cream-colored jerseys. The uniforms were an alternate used during some games from 2017-2020. The colorway was inspired by the team’s home city nickname (in turn, inspired by a local building material). Fans of the Wisconsin franchise loved the look, according to Lukas who spoke with the Bucks’ chief marketing officer, Dustin Godsey. “It was incredibly well received,” Godsey told Lukas. “It helped us kind of build that Cream City brand.”

But there was a problem. The teams’ sponsors started noticing that players wearing the jerseys were getting in the way of their ads—and reported a “pixelation effect,” said Godsey. As a result, the Milwaukee uniforms (and all cream uniforms) were banned NBA-wide. The move also impacts the Philadelphia 76ers, who’ve had a “parchment” colored uniform variant in rotation for the past three seasons, according to Lukas.

It may seem a small thing, but the off-white prohibition is a clear signal of the growing influence that advertisers are having in the sports league and beyond—and the technology enabling that influence. Ad tech is big business, arguably the biggest business—maybe even the only business.

Source: Gizmodo

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Zoom Reportedly Working On Email App Called Zmail To Compete With Gmail

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Zoom may be getting ready for its biggest expansion yet: the company is preparing to launch email and calendar apps, The Information reported, and could do so before the end of this year. That would turn Zoom, which has already evolved from a video chat platform to a competitor to Slack and whiteboard apps and even your office phone, into a full-fledged competitor to Google Workspace and Microsoft Office.

Getting into other work apps would seem like a departure for Zoom, but it makes sense the company would go after them. Zoom CEO Eric Yuan has long said he prefers to be a partner to other work tools rather than replace them, but as Zoom’s own platform ambitions have grown, so has the company’s desire to own more of the work ecosystem.

Calendar and email are both heavily used as scheduling tools, too, which means Zoom could integrate more deeply with companies that already use it. And on the flip side, both Google and Microsoft are trying to edge Zoom out: the Meet button in Google Calendar seems to get a little bigger every day, and those companies are betting their default status will ultimately win.

Source: The Verge

“Some Double AA Batteries For Your Vibrator You Pussy” — RadioShack, Now A Cryptocurrency Platform, Trends Over Profane Tweets

Posted on by Phil Lam X

RadioShack, a bankrupt electronics retailer recast as a cryptocurrency platform, is getting unexpected attention online after its Twitter account took an abruptly explicit tone.

The former tech retail giant’s still active Twitter account began trending on Friday after it shifted from tweeting about cryptocurrencies to roasting other users on the social media platform. The reasons for the verified account’s apparent turn aren’t clear, but its profanity-laced tweets amused other users on the social media platform.

“[W]ho else high [as f**k] [right now],” the account tweeted Thursday morning.

Twitter user @ChrisWooleyAC tweeted a picture of an old remote control car at RadioShack, asking, “what’s y’all’s return policy? I got a remote control car for Christmas back in 03 that stopped working. I need a refund.”

“Got a receipt?” RadioShack tweeted in response. “Head over to our Antartica[sic] location for a *potential* refund.”

After tech mogul Elon Musk tweeted about a SpaceX Falcon 9 landing, the account tweeted, “congrats on the landing of your new giant metal c**k elon.”

“Any last words before we close the coffin?” Twitter user @Mare_Loch tweeted in response. “Radio Shack: Yes, a tweet. Please engrave it on our headstone.”

The RadioShack account replied, “we’ve prepared something special for you,” and included a photo of marquee lettering used to spell “d**krash” featuring the company’s trademark circle “R” logo.

RadioShack, once a household name in the 1990s, filed for bankruptcy in 2015, ending its then-ubiquitous retail presence. However, investors Alex Mehr and Tai Lopez purchased the company earlier this year and relaunched it as a cryptocurrency swap, keeping much of its retro branding, reports Fortune magazine.

The company’s website even appears to sell household electronics and has a store locator showing locations across the country.

As the brand’s Twitter account took on a new tenor, users took a swipe at RadioShack becoming a cryptocurrency platform. Other Twitter users seemed to enjoy interacting with a once-bankrupt brand.

Twitter user @snoopdoug44 tweeted, “Congrats on your bankruptcy!”

“Bankruptcy my a** dawg,” RadioShack said in a reply with a map of the U.S. covered in the company’s logo.

“F**k you! Lots of love, The Shack,” the crypto swap wrote in another tweet.

Twitter user @coffeebreak_YT responded, “the store I used to buy double AA batteries at is trying to start internet beef while running a crypto scam. 2022 is WILD [for real].”

RadioShack fired back.

“[H]i now that we finally got your attention, wanna dm us? we’ve got some double AA batteries for your vibrator you p**sy,” RadioShack said in a response.

Source: Newsweek

Playboi Carti Credits Tech N9ne As Pioneer And Influence Of His Movement

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Playboi Carti has built up a cult-like following over the years throughout his transformation into one of Hip Hop’s superstar trendsetters.

In a rare interview with XXL published Tuesday (April 12), Carti credited Tech N9ne as a pioneer of his gothic rockstar movement.

XL: You were talking about Tech N9ne earlier. Go back into that. Is that why you are wearing some face paint today? He’s known for that.

Playboi Carti: Tech N9ne, he’s the pioneer of what I got going on right now. When it comes to having a cult following, embracing yourself and sticking to your vision, Tech N9ne is the pioneer of that. So, it’s only right I give him his flowers. And, he’s very big in his own world and it’s the same thing with me. Even with the merch.

With the performance, the merch, the presentation, the Juggalo fans and the die-hard audience…

You [said before] he’s one of the best performers, all of that. And then, if you asked a younger kid today, he’ll say that for me. He’s one of the persons who…

Influenced you?

Exactly.

Music-wise? Aesthetically? When did that start? People in hip-hop used to not want to embrace Tech as much as they do now. So, you saying this is a surprise.

I just like how he’s consistent, like his vision. He stuck to his own vision. People like him are before their time, you know what I’m saying? He’s a genius and I’m a genius, so that’s how I see it.

So, you are kind of like a 2.0, 3.0 version of that kind of movement? Not the music, but the same overall package?

I’m more of like, I’m a real-life artist. I really studied his shit before I even get into things. Tech N9ne is the pioneer of this shit. Rock stars. He embraced the rock star, punk shit in hip-hop and it’s fire.

Have you worked together? Have you given him his flowers in person? Is he going to be surprised by what you’re saying or does he know that you feel that way?

Most definitely be surprised by what I’m saying.

Source: HipHopDX, XXL Magazine

Sesame Street Unveils Ameera, Muppet Girl In Wheelchair To Inspire Disabled Kids

Posted on by Phil Lam X

When you think of Sesame Street, you might envision a place where everyone’s singing and dancing without a care in the world, and nothing ever goes wrong.

This is a utopian land that’s far from the realities of many kids in real life, and over the years, the long-running children’s series has set out to rewrite its stories so younger viewers would find a character or experience they can connect with.

The newest muppet on the block is Ameera, an eight-year-old green puppet who has a spinal cord injury and now gets around with a wheelchair or crutches.

In spite of physical restrictions, Ameera continues to play basketball, one of her favorite sports. Being passionate about science, she’s also possibly one of the smartest kids in the neighborhood.

Ameera is witty and inquisitive, according to Sesame Workshop, Sesame Street’s educational nonprofit. “She’s everyone’s favorite comedian, and her great sense of humor serves her well as a natural leader who encourages others with her bright personality,” it adds. “Sometimes, Ameera gets too wrapped up in her own ideas and forgets to notice everyone else’s, but she always remembers that play and learning are most fun when she includes her friends’ ideas too.”

Sesame Workshop endeavors to provide early childhood education to kids affected by global crises. As such, Ameera will first appear on Ahlan Simsim (or Welcome Sesame), the Middle Eastern and North African edition of the show.

On a broader scale, Ameera will serve as a character that 240 million children with disabilities worldwide can look up to, in addition to encouraging young girls to get into STEM careers. And although she is not a refugee, she will shed light on the everyday experiences of displaced children, including Rohingya Sesame Street muppets Noor and Aziz.

Ameera’s character came to life with the help of inclusivity and disability advisors from the Middle East and the US, as reported by Mashable. Among them are occupational therapists, inclusive early educational experts, disability technical specialists, and people with disabilities.

Source: DesignTAXI

Sony’s Next VR Headset Could Follow Your Eyes To Optimize Objects You See

Posted on by Phil Lam X

Tobii, a Swedish firm specializing in eye-tracking technology, made a brief announcement Monday that it is currently “in negotiation” with Sony Interactive Entertainment.

This could lead to Tobii being the provider of eye-tracking tech in the next-generation VR headset Sony is developing, the PlayStation VR2 (PS VR2).

Not much is known about the headset yet, although Sony has previously revealed images of the controllers, innovatively shaped to encircle the player’s hands. The VR2’s predecessor, the PS VR, was released in October 2016, before the famed PlayStation 5 was even released.

SlashGear notes that Sony has detailed the use of eye tracking in the VR2, alongside other features like haptic feedback and 3D audio. The headset, using cameras that follow the user’s line of sight, will reportedly be able to detect “the motion of your eyes.”

Foveated rendering is incorporated to ensure that the areas of an image in direct view of the user are rendered at full quality, while the surrounding areas are displayed at a lower resolution to represent peripheral sight.

Source: DesignTAXI

Token Details Turning Down A Meeting With Eminem At 17

Posted on by Phil Lam X

In this clip, Token talked about how he manages his mental health by focusing on his music and enjoying his relationship. Token spoke in depth about his girlfriend and how she makes him “feel human” at a point in his life where others don’t see him as such due to his career. He also discussed having to deal with internet trolls and their antisemitic comments before detailing his Sway freestyle going viral and how that completely changed his life. Token discussed working with some hip-hop legends like Tech 9ine and even spoke about why he decided to turn down a meeting with a particular hip-hop icon that he’s often compared to.

Later in the clip, Token talked about some of the collaborations he’s had recently like Lil Skies and how he’s looking forward to working with artists like Doja Cat. He added why he has so much respect for artists who came up unconventionally because of his own unorthodox path to becoming a rapper. The clip concludes with a brief acapella freestyle.