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Apple's Spike Jonze-directed HomePod ad makes lofty promises
Silly us. We worried that Apple's HomePod could fall behind because Siri isn't quite as capable as competing virtual assistants. As the just-debuted HomePod advertisement helpfully illustrates, the $349 speaker can do so much more than that. As near as we can tell, each purchase will include built-in apartment expansion, Spike Jonze visuals and dance-offs with FKA twigs set to a brand-new Apple Music-exclusive Anderson .Paak song (Til It's Over). Or maybe it will just sound that way?
A&E and Vice hope that you still like conventional TV
You may be devoting a lot of your viewing time to streaming services, but A&E reckons that you still have a soft spot for old-school TV. Its parent company A+E Networks is teaming up with Vice to launch Viceland, a 24-hour TV channel aimed right at that all-important youth demographic. They're largely leaning on Vice's edgy reputation to draw you in -- the initial shows include Gaycation and Weediquette, and Spike Jonze is overseeing the channel. However, they're also acknowledging the realities of an era where DVRs and online video are commonplace. Viceland is planning to run fewer ads during prime time, and there are hints of "innovative monetization strategies" that won't simply involve wave after wave of commercials.
Recommended Reading: Spike Jonze predicts the future of UI, confronting tragedy through video games and more
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology in print and on the web. Some weeks, you'll also find short reviews of books dealing with the subject of technology that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read. Why Her Will Dominate UI Design Even More Than Minority Report (2,194 words) by Kyle Vanhemert, Wired Pocket!function(d,i){if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement("script");j.id=i;j.src="https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1";var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);}}(document,"pocket-btn-js"); For the better part of the last decade, Minority Report has been the go-to reference for futuristic UI design. But, lets be serious, nobody is clamoring for more gadgets to control by waving their hands like a lunatic. More likely, the future will see technology seamlessly integrated into our lives, the way it is in Spike Jonze's latest film, Her. In this "slight future" everything around the protagonist Theo Twombly is subtly smart, responding to his movements, words and even moods. And there in lies the true potential of artificial intelligence. As Vanhemert asserts in his article, "it [AI] doesn't have one fixed personality. Instead, its ability to figure out what a person needs at a given moment emerges as the killer app."
Joaquin Phoenix finds real love with artificial intelligence in Spike Jonze's 'Her' (video)
When sci fi narratives explore artificial intelligence approaching a human level of sentience, they tend to focus on the negative (Skynet, anyone?). Not so with Spike Jonze's new movie Her, a melancholy examination of what it means to be human in an increasingly inhuman world. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a social recluse who finds a friend in his smartphone's Siri-inspired assistant, Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson). The relationship blossoms in a way that manages to be both heartfelt and deeply unsettling, and Jonze's take on a sort of technological animism feels pretty culturally resonant. Her is set for a November release, and you can watch the trailer after the break.
Spike Jonze's free web film features robot love, vodka, long wait times
We wanted to tell you what Spike Jonze's new web film I'm Here is all about, we really did, and not just because it reportedly has robots in it -- though that was certainly a major factor in the decision. But after we crossed the virtual street to the virtual box office, we were informed that there were no seats left in the virtual theater. Imagine that. So instead of providing our impressions here, we'll just give you the facts. I'm Here is sponsored by Absolut Vodka; I'm Here is a 30-minute love story about humanoids living in Los Angeles. I'm Here can be viewed alongside Facebook friends; I'm Here can only be seen by 5,000 viewers a day. I'm Here promises a "striking online cinema experience," and we were struck by just how lifelike waiting for tickets could be. And if you, too, can't get "in" to see it, I'm Here can satiate you slightly with a one-minute trailer after the break.
