Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

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Stories By Jennifer Williams-Alvarez

  • What you need to know about the laws of space

    Neil deGrasse Tyson has said he loses "sleep at night wondering whether we are intelligent enough to figure out the universe." It's a valid concern. We've put a man on the moon, landed on a comet and roved around on Mars, but it's really only the tip of the iceberg. There's so much that we haven't seen and don't know, it seems almost impossible to fully understand the universe. It's not for lack of effort, though. People and spacecraft keep going up into space investigating the unknown, hoping to glean something new, or finding the Holy Grail -- a place that can sustain life. And as human beings become a more frequent presence in the cosmos we've had to establish rules to ensure that places like the International Space Station don't deteriorate into complete bedlam and that we're not fighting wars over uninhabitable swaths of Martian desert. The international community has actually come together and written regulatory guidelines for space exploration and laws that keep the final frontier from turning into the Wild West.

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  • Why celebrities like Lindsay Lohan are suing video game studios

    In July 2014, Lindsay Lohan sued Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games, claiming that Grand Theft Auto V featured a character who is allegedly based on the Mean Girls actress. According to the suit, filed in the New York Supreme Court, the cover of the game depicts a bikini-clad woman who bears a striking resemblance to LiLo. And the game itself apparently consists of more similarities, including the fact that the character runs from paparazzi, takes cover in the Chateau Marmont and incorporates Lohan's "image, likeness, clothing, outfits, [Lohan's] clothing line products, ensemble in the form of hats, hair style, sunglasses [and] jean shorts." Also in July, former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega filed suit in California Superior Court against Activision Blizzard Inc., the makers of Call of Duty: Black Ops II, for using his likeness without permission. According to the complaint, Activision depicted Noriega as "a kidnapper, murderer and enemy of the state," (the audacity!) and the makers implied that he was "the culprit of numerous fictional heinous crimes, creating the false impression that defendants are authorized to use [his] image and likeness." Lohan's and Noriega's suits were filed in two different states, and because of this, the applicable laws vary a bit. Lohan's battle is ongoing while Noriega's has been dismissed. One involves a celebrity, and the other a political figure. On the face of it, these two suits don't have all that much in common. The thread that connects them both –- and most lawsuits involving the use of a person's likeness in a video game -– is the right of publicity.

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  • What you need to know about Airbnb's legal challenges

    Currently, there are over 800,000 Airbnb listings in more than 34,000 cities and 190 countries. With upwards of 20 million guests, it's safe to say that Airbnb has nestled its way into the hearts of many a traveler. It's really not surprising that the masses have been charmed by Airbnb, right? Because as exciting as it is to make travel plans for, say, a vacation, there's always that little tinge of anxiety about leaving the comforts of home (at least for some of us). But Airbnb offers something to assuage that anxiety by allowing you to stay in another person's home. No, this is not the same as being in your own space, but some might argue that it's more comforting than the sometimes methodical feel of a hotel. And the icing on the cake? While you're away on your vacation, Airbnb allows you to make some money with your empty space – also known as hosting. Airbnb's story is not just "unique travel experiences," affordable prices and monetizing your unused space. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on the audience), there are laws in place that are meant to limit when, where and how you can list your space.

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  • What you need to know about 3D printing

    Dutch designer Iris van Herpen used one to send collections down the runway. Mink hopes you'll rely on one to create custom makeup at home. Andrey Rudenko is optimistic that he can use one to help him build his next home. And soon we'll create new human organs with them. The mysterious agent of change I'm referring to is 3D printing, of course. Though these machines were previously accessible to only a small group of wealthy hobbyists, that's no longer the case. As 3D printer prices have decreased and accessibility has increased, it seems like the possibilities are endless. But before each home has its own 3D printer, the technology is poised to dramatically impact how the industries we depend on manufacture the gadgets -- and everything else -- we know and love.

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  • What you need to know about laser-cut clothing

    You know the intricate, elegant, classic pattern found on your grandma's doilies? Imagine that design as an item of clothing. That is laser-cut design. Laser cutting used to be reserved for haute couture designs. But as consumers began lusting for the technique, and the technology was made more readily available to manufacturers, it's become commonplace to see laser-cut silk and leather in ready-to-wear runway collections. Where the runway goes, affordable fashion typically follows: You can now find laser-cut clothing sold by fast fashion retailers like Topshop and ASOS. And that's just for starters.

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