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Bored Ape NFT event leads to at least 15 attendees reporting severe eye burn
At least 15 visitors at Yuga Labs’ Apefest, a celebration of Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs, will be lucky to avoid becoming blind apes. Multiple people attending the NFT event in Hong Kong last weekend say they experienced eye problems, which they suspect stemmed from the event’s stage lighting.
UltraViolet's digital movie locker closes Wednesday
It's time to say sayonara to UltraViolet. The cloud-based digital rights locker that lets users watch content across a variety of services will shut down on Wednesday. Earlier this year, the company said it would cease operations on July 31st due to changes in the market. Customers will still be able to access any purchased movies and TV shows through the original retailers, which are FandangoNOW and Vudu (only in the US), Kaleidoscope (US, UK, Canada) and Flixster (outside the US). Same goes for making any online purchases or redeeming any digital codes.
Jaguar Land Rover thinks its cars can stop diseases from spreading
Tesla's Bioweapon Defense Mode might have nothing on what Jaguar Land Rover does to fight pathogens. The British automaker is exploring the use of ultraviolet light to kill bacteria, viruses and allergens in the cabin. The air conditioning system inside future vehicles would blast the unwanted organisms with medical-grade UV-C light, breaking down the intruder's DNA and rendering it harmless.
Burn FilmStruck, spoil UltraViolet, but you can’t take my DVDs
I haven't watched a DVD in a while. Long enough that I've thought about donating all of my discs to goodwill. But when I Kondo'd my possessions, the bulk of my media remained in place as they kinda/sorta sparked joy. (That's a lie, I was deep into the sunk cost fallacy to just toss a small fortune's worth of DVDs, which is a bit like joy, right?) Now, however, the recent news in the digital media makes me want to hold my discs and never ever let them go.
The movie industry is giving up on its UltraViolet digital locker
UltraViolet, the digital rights locker that gives you a way to view the movies and shows you purchase from various services, will shut down on July 31st. If you're not familiar with the service, it stores only licenses (and not the content itself) in the cloud to enable playback on multiple devices regardless of their origin. You can even use it to redeem codes for digital copies that come with physical purchases. UltraViolet has announced the news on its website, along with instructions not to close your libraries or to unlink them from supported retailers. It's working with those retailers to maximize your continued access to the movies and TV shows in your list.
Disney ‘Movies Anywhere’ adds flicks from Fox, Warner, Sony and Universal
Frustrated with the current state of DVD/Blu-ray digital copies and buying movies from online stores like Vudu or iTunes? A new connection between studios and stores may be the best fix we'll get, now that Fox, Sony Pictures, Universal and Warner Bros (but not Paramount and Lionsgate, so far) have linked their libraries to Disney's Movies Anywhere setup. Confirming rumors from earlier this week, the Keychest-powered system that Disney has used for its own movies since 2014 will now unlock movies from all of those studios, covering over 7,300 titles. If you haven't used Movies Anywhere with a Disney, Pixar, Marvel or Lucasfilm flick, it's very similar to the Ultraviolet system the other studios have focused on until now. Once you create an account you can watch movies through its app and website, or through stores that participate with it, which include iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu and Google Play. Linking the accounts is relatively painless, and for a limited time, viewers can unlock access to five free movies (Big Hero 6, Ghostbusters (2016), Ice Age Jason Bourne (2016), The Lego Movie) by doing so.
Disney, Fox, Warner and Universal may team up on downloadable movies
After nearly a decade of battling between movie lockers, Disney may finally have support from other studios. According to a report from Bloomberg, "several major Hollywood film studios" are signed up to participate in a new film service with Disney, including Fox, Warner and Universal. Since 2010, most of the industry has relied on Ultraviolet to enable cross-store digital movie ownership, with the exception of Disney, which launched its own Movies Anywhere service in 2014. Most of us got our first taste of the systems that link purchases across stores like iTunes, or Amazon via digital copy codes included with DVDs and Blu-rays. The studios hope that by finally banding together, they can convince customers to buy more movies instead of relying on subscription services or other avenues to get their flicks. There's no word about what might happen to studio support for Ultraviolet, or stores that support it like Walmart's Vudu, but Disney Movies Anywhere currently links to iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, FiOS and not Microsoft. The other major studios, Lionsgate and Paramount, are reportedly "supportive" but aren't joining yet.
Escalators of tomorrow will have self-sterilizing handrails
You know what's a real cesspit of sickness, disease and transmittable maladies? The moving handrails that you find on escalators and moving walkways. It's why LG's electronics arm, Innotek, has spent time and money building a device that can banish other people's hand sweat and germs from the rubber strip. The LG Handrail UV LED Sterilizer, as the name implies, sits over the handrail and uses ultraviolet light to continuously disinfect the rail.
Lights out on a ghostly James Webb Space Telescope inspection
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) might be the most important scientific instrument ever developed. It'll peer back in time over 13 billion years to the early universe and look for signs of life around the recently discovered TRAPPIST-1 planetary system.
Scientists build atom-scale sub that moves at 'breakneck' speeds
There are still no nanobots plying our bloodstreams, seeking and destroying cancer and other diseases. However, scientists at Rice University have just built a molecule-scale "submarine," so that's a pretty positive step towards "Fantastic Voyage." Mades at the same lab that developed "nanocars," the devices are a mere 244 atoms in size, with motors powered by ultraviolet light that turn at over a million RPM. That propels them along at a solid one inch per second, which is a "breakneck" pace according to lab director James Tour. "These are the fastest-moving molecules ever seen in solution," he said.
Vudu finally delivers 1080p HDX movies on Android devices
One of the best features of Vudu's movie service has always been its high quality video, and now you can view it on mobile devices. The latest version of Vudu for Android brings a native interface for the first time that's far easier to use and looks better on screens of all sizes, as well as the ability to play HD (720p) and HDX (1080p) quality streams or downloads. That's a feature that's still not available on iPhones and iPads, but it should work on "select" Lollipop or higher devices (read: capable of high-res video and the accompanying DRM).
Army scientists build smaller, tougher, cheaper solar cells
Army researchers at the Redstone Arsenal have announced a significant breakthrough in solar energy production. They've created a photovoltaic solar panel that is smaller, more robust and less expensive to build and operate than any other panel currently available. Virtually every solar panel currently in existence relies on a pure silicon construction, however the band gap (the wavelength of light that it can actually be absorbed and converted into electricity) of single crystal silicon is exceedingly narrow compared to the full spectrum shining down from the Sun. Not only does this mean that conventional panels are missing out on potential power, the ultraviolet and infrared wavelengths actively damage the panels by causing them to heat, warp and crack.
Supernovae suggest the universe is growing slower than expected
Don't look now, but what you know about the universe's growth might have been turned on its ear. University of Arizona scientists have learned that a certain type of supernova (Ia) isn't the reliable measuring stick for universe expansion that previous data would suggest. By comparing optical and ultraviolet images (such as in the hybrid image you see above), they found that older, farther exploding stars aren't behaving in the same way as newer ones closer to our own star. In other words, the ancient supernovae aren't necessarily as distant as you'd think -- and if they aren't, the universe isn't growing as quickly as textbooks say.
Target's internet video service you didn't use is shutting down
Following in the tracks of other retailers like Walmart (Vudu) and Best Buy (CinemaNow), Target launched its own video on-demand service in late 2013, but now it's the first of those three to shut things down. Like Redbox Instant and Samsung's Video Hub, Target Ticket didn't quite catch on, as compatibility with Ultraviolet digital copies (that can be viewed using different services, no matter where they were originally purchased) and links to its customer loyalty program weren't enough to hook users. As for movies or TV shows not covered by Ultraviolet, Target says that it's linked up with CinemaNow. When the lights go out on March 7th, customers can either transfer their purchases there, or if the content isn't available, get a credit from the service as detailed here. Of course, that's all theoretical since you probably never bought movies there anyway. [Thanks, Dave Zatz]
Tesco now offers digital copies of movies you've bought in any store
Tesco's Blinkbox video streaming service might be facing a less-than-certain future, but that doesn't mean the supermarket giant is ready concede defeat just yet. Mirroring similar moves by Amazon and Sky, the company today announced become the first major UK retailer to let customers grab digital copies of their DVDs and Blu-rays via Ultraviolet, which can be stored inside a Blinkbox account. Tesco isn't just limiting the locker service to movies bought in its own supermarkets, either, making all of your Ultraviolet-enabled titles available to instantly stream or download across a wide number of devices, including the new Hudl2. To get started, you'll need to create your Ultraviolet library, link your Blinkbox account and then get streamin'.
Google's experimental Hangouts app borrows inspiration from Facebook
Ever since it ditched Google Talk and integrated everything into Hangouts, Google's messaging service has become pervasive on mobile and the web. While the search giant routinely adds new features, a bigger update could be on the way, at least according to a new leak from Chrome tinkerer Florian Kiersch. He got his hands on a recent test build of Hangouts, known internally as UltraViolet, that shows Google is testing a new interface that mimics the "chat heads" found in Facebook's Messenger app on Android. According to Kiersch, floating profile icons are just one of the many UI changes expected to come to Hangouts in the near future, but thanks to the experimental nature of the leaked browser app, it's the only new feature we're able to lay eyes on, at least for now.
CreoPop lets you draw in three dimensions without that plastic smell
First TVs, then printers -- now even pens are producing content in 3D. It's truly a mad world, but at least our universe is still ripe for innovation. Introducing the CreoPop 3D Pen, a wieldable printing device that can "draw" objects into existence. It's not the first 3D pen we've come across (that honor goes to the WobbleWorks 3Doodler), but it is the first one we can't compare to a hot glue gun.
Vudu's 'Share My Movies' lets up to five friends peek into your library
While Ultraviolet digital copies have been pitched as a way to make watching videos online easier, so far they've lead to frustration for many users. A recent incident involving the early release of Veronica Mars for Kickstarter backers was a low point, Apple, Google and Microsoft all have yet to tie their services in, and now Disney is finally rolling out its own Movies Anywhere system. To get back on the positive foot, Walmart's Vudu streaming service is shining a light on Ultraviolet's ability to let users share their library with up to five friends (no, it's not quite as easy as sharing a PS4 game). Now available within Vudu under the title of "Share My Movies" it lets users add friends to their library just by sending an e-mail invite. Ultraviolet supports up to three simultaneous streams, so you can even watch movies at the same time. According to the FAQ, once your Vudu account is linked to another person's library, any TV shows or movies you purchase will be added to that library, so you may want to be careful which ones you add. Done right between a few friends, it can probably add up to a decent online library of movies to watch just from Blu-ray discs and DVDs you already own -- check the blog post for more information.
Vudu's 1080p movies and TV shows are now streaming on Chromecast
After a short test period, Walmart's movie streaming service Vudu has launched Chromecast support across its website and mobile apps, adding to the long list of devices it's already available on. A far cry from Vudu's $399 set-top box that launched in 2007, owners of Google's $35 HDMI dongle can now stream their entire collection of movies and TV shows in 1080p with just a press of the Cast button. That includes Ultraviolet digital copies, and while the code redemption process has been a source of frustration for many, Chromecast support means easy and cheap access without needing to log in, activate another device or set up an account again. In updated apps on Android or iOS the feature should already be live, and on Vudu.com if you have the Google Cast browser extension installed.
Veronica Mars Ultraviolet digital copies frustrate many backers, Warner Bros. offers refunds
After an instantly successful $5.7 million Kickstarter campaign the Veronica Mars movie has finally arrived in theaters and at home, but that doesn't mean all is well. Digital copies of the movie for backers were distributed using codes for Flixster, Warner Bros.' Ultraviolet-connected movie site/service. Unfortunately, many users had issues signing up for the often-convoluted Ultraviolet login process, setting up the Flixster software to stream or download the video, accessing a copy outside the US, or actually getting overloaded servers to work. There are some who flew through the setup without issue, but an update by series creator Rob Thomas directs backers with problems to contact customer support. They'll help get things working, or provide a refund for purchasing the movie on another service like Amazon or iTunes. On (the also Flixster-operated) Rotten Tomatoes, Veronica Mars is showing a 98 percent audience rating and 76 percent overall, so once fans can sit back and and press play, it appears they're liking what they see. Not yet familiar? An unaired version of the original pilot is available for free on iTunes, and you can get caught up on the entire series on Amazon's Prime subscription service.
