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Watch BTS get distracted by a dancing Boston Dynamics robot dog
That's it, that's the post.
You’ll soon be able to dance like BTS in ‘Fortnite’
'Fortnite' is hosting the world premiere of a new, choreographed music video of the BTS bop 'Dynamite.'
SoundCloud's founders are launching an e-bike subscription service
Dance will be focused on subscription-based ownership. The company won’t be flooding cities with dockless bikes, though. Still, the company’s two-wheelers will need to be robust. The company is reportedly working on a fancier ride, though. It’s a good time to be launching an e-bike company.
Beatport's streaming service for DJs sends music directly to decks
DJs are used to lugging their music around on vinyl and less back-breaking external drives, but they soon might not need to bring much of anything for their next gig. Beatport recently introduced its $15 per month Link service that streams tracks directly to DJ hardware and software, including Pioneer's entry-level WeDJ app and now Denon's Prime Series decks. So long as there's an internet connection, you can play Beatport's newest releases without hooking up your laptop or some form of storage. And if there's no reliable broadband at the festival, don't panic: You can store 50-100 tracks offline with the Pro and Pro+ versions, including directly on Denon's gear.
The 'Fortnite' dance lawsuits are close to falling apart
Epic Games has found itself slapped with a flurry of lawsuits, all alleging the company of stealing people's dance moves and selling them on for a profit. These dances are incorporated into its world-conquering game Fortnite, which are bought by players for a quantity of in-game currency (costing real money). That's angered a number of musicians and viral video stars, who feel that they've been ripped off, but in one high-profile case, the law might be on Epic's side.
Fortnite’s legal battles probably won’t result in big payouts
As Fortnite continues its astronomical rise, the legal troubles keep piling on for its developer, Epic Games. With more than 200 million players on Fortnite: Battle Royale (which reportedly earned over $1 billion in 2018), the title isn't just a cultural phenomenon -- it's also a serious cash cow. And, as the great Notorious B.I.G. once said, "mo' money, mo' problems." For Epic, those problems have been caused by Fortnite's Emotes, a collection of real-world-inspired dance moves that players can use with their avatar in the game.
BlocBoy JB is the latest to sue Epic over a 'Fortnite' dance
No, artists still aren't done suing Epic Games for allegedly violating copyright by using their dances in Fortnite. TMZ has learned that BlocBoy JB is suing Epic for reportedly copying his "Shoot" dance with the "Hype" emote in the battle royale game. Like Fresh Prince star Alfonso Ribiero, BlocBoy said he didn't have the copyright yet but was in the midst of securing it. And like before, there's no doubt that the dance is similar -- the question is whether or not there's a case.
Orange Shirt Kid's mom is suing 'Fortnite' creators over dance
Epic Games is facing yet another lawsuit over the use of dance moves in Fortnite, although this one might not be so straightforward. The mom of Orange Shirt Kid, whose Random dance reached the game as Orange Justice, is suing Epic for allegedly using the routine "without consent or authorization" and thus violating his copyright and trademarks. Rachel McCumbers' son submitted the dance to Epic as part of its BoogieDown contest and initially didn't pass muster, but a wave of support (including a petition) led the developer to include it in the game regardless. There's no question that Orange Justice is his -- it even uses his catchphrase, "it's also a great exercise move." However, there are a number of reasons this case might face daunting odds.
Catie Cuan’s robot choreography
In a former shipyard in New York City, the contemporary dancer and choreographer Catie Cuan twists and sways her limbs. Her dance partner is 9 feet tall and weighs nearly two-tons: an ABB IRB 6700 robot typically used for the "three Ds" of industrial labor -- tasks that are dull, dirty and dangerous.
AI-altered video makes it look like you can dance
Can't pop-lock or Lindy Hop to save your life? Don't worry -- AI could soon make it look like you're a dance superstar. UC Berkeley researchers have developed a deep learning system that translates dance moves from a source video to less-than-experienced subjects. One algorithm creates a virtual skeleton to map poses, while two more algorithms square off against each other to both create the full picture and create a more realistic face for subjects as their virtual bodies twirl around. You do need the test subject to move around for a short while to get reference material, but the result is realistic enough to give an amateur the deftness of a ballet dancer.
Please don't jump out of your car and dance to Drake, NTSB pleads
Drake might be the king of memes, but the latest, for his track In My Feelings, has attracted the wrong kind of viral attention. The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is asking fans to please, please, not do that #InMyFeelings challenge that involves jumping out of a moving car and dancing. On top of that, drivers should definitely not film said challengers, as that's equally stupid and in violation of pretty much all the distracted driving laws.
‘Fortnite’ wants to put your dance in the game
The free-to-play Fortnite: Battle Royale has become a cultural sensation with a wide-ranging playerbase. How do we know? Because professional sports players won't stop mimicking the game's weird dances in real life. Maybe one day they'll be doing one of your dances -- because Epic Games just launched a contest for players to submit video of their smooth moves, with the best one making it into Fortnite.
Yamaha's AI transformed a dancer into a pianist
Artificial intelligence is already everywhere, so it's inevitable that it would invade the arts. Yamaha showed a new kind of AI tech that translated the movements of renowned dancer Kaiji Moriyama into musical notes on a piano, "a form of expression that fuses body movements and music," the company said. He used it during a concert in Tokyo entitled Mai Hi Ten Yu, dancing and "playing" the piano with his body, accompanied by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra Scharoun Ensemble.
Pioneer's new iOS app can power your next DJ livestream
Pioneer's DJ mix recording app is now available for your iPhone and iPad. Cleverly named DJM-REC, the free-to-download app connects to any mixer with a USB send/return channel to record, archive and even livestream your mixes. The app gives you a 30-day trial, after which you'll need to purchase the full app for $10.
Jump between a dream and reality in Major Lazer's new music video
Major Lazer's latest EP, Know No Better, came out last month, surprising fans two years after the electronic hip-hop group's previous LP, Peace is the Mission. The original music video for the track — which features Travis Scott, Camila Cabello and Quavo on vocals — has a video game-style first person perspective that shows the unseen protagonist handing out flyers with the title printed on it to various strangers on the street. Now, though, the group has a totally new video for the track. While watching, you can click an icon to switch between two perspectives of a boy's life. It's fun to change viewpoints between his ordinary life and his aspirational dreams, and the story the video tells is both emotional and adorable.
Blanca Li dances with robots to better understand them
Elon Musk, Bill Gates and Stephen Hawking are deeply concerned about AI, but the tech and its ramifications are poorly understood by the public. That disconnect prompted Blanca Li and her dance company to create a choreography for eight dancers called Robot. Produced with Softbank's robotics division and Japanese artists Maywa Denki, it attempts to explore "the interactions between [humans and robots], in an absurd and poetic way."
Dance moves turn into music with BeatMoovz
There are plenty of gadgets out there for making music on your mobile device, but they're relatively sedentary affairs. BeatMoovz turns things arounds with a music tool that gets you up and dancing: instead of moving with the music, you dance and create a soundtrack using your steps, spins and sashays.
The Morning After: Friday, February 17 2017
Hey, good morning! We made it to Friday. But what about yesterday? Some poor soul got their hands on Nintendo's new console two weeks in advance -- but has no games to play on it, Apple is tinkering with a 4K TV box. Oh, and if you'd like some bedtime reading, may I suggest Mark Zuckerberg's lengthy treatise on the future of Facebook?
Science confirms what we already know: It's all in the hips
To find out what people think of lady dancing, you don't need to head to the club. Instead, researchers in the UK outfitted female dancers with motion capture rigs, much like the ones that bring digital movie characters like Gollum or Jar Jar Binks to life. According to science, then, women who swing their hips while moving their legs and thighs independently are rated high on attractiveness.
Engadget's annual CES dance break is a 'Frozen' duet
Sometimes, the madness of CES builds to a fever pitch and only one thing can save Engadget editors from a complete mental breakdown: Just Dance 2017. Specifically, dancing a duet to the most popular song from Frozen, "Let it Go." This year's Video Game Challenge kicked off with a bang, featuring Engadget Senior Editor Mat Smith as host, and Senior Editor Andrew Tarantola and Senior Reporter Jessica Conditt (that's me!) as the performers. Note that none of those titles include the word "dancer" -- and don't judge. We could all use a little fun in our lives every now and then, and doubly so at CES.
