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TRANSYLVANIA 2°
Eeie> OF
SEPTEMBER
RECORD
September has a new box office star in “Hotel
Transylvania 2.’ The PG-rated animated pic
earned a robust $47.5 million in its debut
weekend, making it the top September opener
of all time, according to Rentrak estimates
Sunday.
The previous record holder was “Hotel
Transylvania” which opened to $42.5 million
in 2012.
“It really is something the whole family can
agree to see. There are laughs for adults, kids,
and teenagers as well,’ said Rory Bruer, president
of worldwide distribution for Sony.
According to the studio, an estimated 59 percent
of audiences were female and 60 percent were
under the age of 25.
6
Paul Dergarabedian, a Senior Media Analyst for
box office tracker Rentrak, noted that the film
capitalized on early excitement for Halloween.
It's also serving an audience eager for more
family friendly animated content.
“This year hasn't been oversaturated with family
animated films, it seems like virtually all have
done well,’ he said.
The film, which cost around $80 million to make,
features the voices of Adam Sandler, Mel Brooks,
Selena Gomez and Kevin James and is the only
animated feature on the market until “Peanuts”
opens in November.
“The Intern;’a PG-13 rated workplace comedy
starring Anne Hathaway and Robert De Niro,
took second with a solid $18.2 million.
Audiences for the Nancy Meyers written and
directed film were 62 percent women and 88
percent over the age of 25. Significantly, 55
percent were over 50-years-old - an audience
that doesn't typically rush out to see films on
opening weekend.
“Nancy Meyers is her own brand and | think that
automatically accesses an audience who looks
at it and thinks “this is a movie | want to see,”
said Jeff Goldstein, an executive vice president
at Warner Bros., of the veteran filmmaker known
for films like “It’s Complicated.”
“Here we have a real hit,’ he said.
“Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials” took third place
in its second weekend in theaters with $14
million - a 54 percent drop from its opening. The
film has brought in $51.7 million to date.
“Everest,’ meanwhile, landed in fourth place with
only $13.1 million after expanding nationwide.
The fact-based adventure film opened only on
IMAX and premium large format 3D screens last
weekend.
“It’s very difficult to know where a film is going
to land when there's no good comp for it. Based
on the releasing pattern we had for the movie,
we're kind of blazing a new trail. You can call
it an experiment if you will’ said Nick Carpou,
who heads Universal’s domestic distribution.
“When you add the two weekends together and
the mid-weeks in between, sitting here at $23
million feels really good.’
Dergarabedian said that perhaps the
competition over the same audience is the
reason for “Everest’s” soft weekend.
“It’s really crowded out there,’ Dergarabedian
said. Both “Black Mass,’ in fifth place with $11.5
million, and “Everest” have been pulling in
predominantly male audiences.
The well-reviewed border drama “Sicario” is also
dividing audience attentions. It cracked the top
10 with $1.8 million from only 59 theaters.
Hope isn’t lost for “Everest,’ though.
Internationally, it has earned $73.7 million to
date. Also, with a solid A CinemaScore, word of
mouth should be strong in the coming weeks,
despite the direct competition of next week’s
“The Walk,” another vertiginous, event film that
will take over IMAX screens.
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through
Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters,
according to Rentrak. Where available, the
latest international numbers for Friday through
Sunday are also included. Final domestic
figures will be released Monday.
11
7 “Hotel Transylvania 2,” $47.5 million
# ($29.2 million international).
a2 “The Intern,” $18.2 million
« ($11.8 million international).
3 “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,”
« $14 million ($28.4 million international).
4 “Everest,” $13.1 million
# ($33.8 million international).
5 “Black Mass” $11.5 million.
13
“The Visit,” $6.7 million
« ($5 million international).
7 “The Perfect Guy,” $4.8 million.
“War Room,” $4.3 million
« ($2.1 million international).
9 “The Green Inferno,” $3.5 million (400K
s international).
7 O “Sicario,” $1.8 million
# ($3.5 million international).
15
Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday
at international theaters (excluding the U.S. and
Canada), according to Rentrak:
7 “Lost In Hong Kong,” $100 million.
a “Everest,” $33.8 million.
3. “Hotel Transylvania 2,” $29.2 million.
4. “Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials,”
$28.4 million.
5 “The Intern,” $11.8 million.
17
6 “Inside Out,” £8 million.
7 “The Throne,” $7.9 million.
8 “The Third Way of Love,” and
« “Fack ju Gohte 2,” $7.5 million.
9 “Minions,” $6.8 million.
7 O “Pixels,” $6 million.
19
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GOT THE NEW iPHONE? HERE'S HOVV
TO USE LUVE PHOTOS FEATURE
23
If you're getting one of the new iPhones, you'll
be able to turn still images into video.
The iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, which started
shipping Friday in the U.S. and other markets,
automatically take three-second videos to
accompany your regular shots, including selfies.
Imagine snapping a shot of your kid blowing out
birthday candles - and getting video showing
the flame going out as everyone sings “Happy
Birthday.’ Yes, sound is included. You can also
enhance shots of your pets and landscapes, such
as a waterfall.
You need one of the 6s models to capture these
“Live Photos,’ but older phones are fine for
viewing.
This feature takes practice, so check out these
tips:
24
TAKING THE SHOT
When you open the camera app, the iPhone
continually records video in the background,
though it’s immediately discarded if you do
nothing. When you snap a shot, the phone saves
a second and a half of video leading to that shot
and continues recording until you get three
seconds in all.
Wait a few seconds before snapping your shot
so that the video won't show you moving the
phone into position. Likewise, resist dropping
your camera right after taking the shot. The
phone will detect that movement with an
upcoming software update, so it can stop the
video automatically. For now, wait for a yellow
“LIVE” box on the screen to disappear before
moving.
Ask your subjects to hold their pose longer. If
they start moving or talking, the video will show
that. The video will show your flash firing if you
use it, so natural lighting is better.
The still shot is the key part of Live Photos,
and video merely enhances that. Pay attention
to perfecting that still shot in terms of focus,
lighting and composition. You don’t need to
wait for the video recording to finish before
snapping another shot. Just keep snapping, as
you'd normally do, and the phone will create
overlapping three-second videos automatically.
25
26
VIEWING AND SHARING
To view a Live Photo on your phone, tap and
hold the image in the Photos app. On the Apple
Watch, you can view it in its Photos app or as
part of a custom watch face with that image. On
Mac computers, go to the Photos app and move
your cursor over the “LIVE” box on the lower
left corner. Your devices need the latest system
software - iOS 9 on iPhones and iPads, watchOS
2 on Apple Watch and El Capitan on the Mac.
The Mac update is coming soon.
Share Live Photos with family and friends
through the Messages app - as long as they
have an Apple device with the latest system.
Otherwise, they'll just get the still image. Make
sure the message is sent as an iMessage, which
will appear blue. If it’s green, it is a standard text
message and won't have video. You can also
share these through the phone's iCloud Photo
Sharing and AirDrop features, but not as email.
Apple is letting other services such as Facebook
create tools for sharing and viewing as well.
Because Live Photos include audio, don’t share
with someone you've just gossiped about.
27
PHOTO MANAGEMENT
The video part gets turned off when you edit
photos. You can get it back, but you then lose
your changes. Make a copy to edit by sending
the Live Photo to yourself using iMessage. Just
send it to your Apple ID email address rather
than your phone number.
You can export Live Photos to Mac and
Windows computers and find video files that
work with most video programs. Quality is
lower than usual to save storage. Plus, Apple
hides these files under normal use, so this is
mostly for advanced users.
Each Live Photo takes up about twice the
storage of a regular photo. You can't delete
just the video part, but you can disable video
recording by tapping a yellow circle on the
screen. Apple's iCloud Photo Library service
might free up some storage on your phone, but
you might be better off buying a phone with
more storage to begin with.
28
30
6
NOTEWORTHY
FEATURES IN
OS ACE
CAPITAN
UPDATE
The name of Apple's new Mac operating system
says a lot about what to expect.
“El Capitan” won't offer dramatic changes, but
rather refinements and enhancements to the
current Mac system, called Yosemite. In real
life, El Capitan is a rock formation in Yosemite
National Park. It’s as though the new Mac system
isn't big enough to leave Yosemite.
Nonetheless, it’s an upgrade worth having
after it’s out Wednesday, especially as it’s
free. Though you're not getting a lot of new
functionality, El Capitan is packed with goodies
that will shave off seconds here and there.
Those seconds will add up.
Just back up your system before upgrading, and
make sure any apps you use frequently will work
with the new system. Sometimes, it takes app
makers weeks or months to catch up, especially
for non-Apple apps.
Once you get El Capitan, here are six features
worth checking out:
PINNING WEBSITES
A pin is like a bookmark on Apple’s Safari
browser, except the website you're pinning is
always open and refreshing in the backgrovund.
If you visit another website and come back, pins
remember where you left off - as long as you
don't close the browser.
You might say this sounds like browser tabs. A
key difference is when you click on an external
link and leave a pinned site, the browser opens
anew tab, so you don't lose your place on the
pinned site. With tabs, the new site sometimes
replaces the site you were on.
32
MUTING AUDIO
As websites get aggressive at delivering video
ads and content, audio might play automatically.
This gets annoying if you're watching video in
another window. Safari now has a speaker icon
to instantly mute all audio playing in the browser,
without affecting audio elsewhere. With the
computer's mute button, it’s all or nothing.
If the video you're watching is playing in the
same browser, the audio for that will mute, too.
It works better when playing video in a stand-
alone app, such as iTunes. Or you can install a
separate browser, such as Google’s Chrome, and
play your Netflix or Hulu video there.
SPLIT SCREENS AND SPACES
The Mac has long let you run multiple apps
in separate windows, but you've been limited
to one app when it’s in full-screen mode. This
changes with El Capitan’s Split View, a feature
Microsoft has had since Window 8's release in
2012. Although you can come close to split
screens by resizing two windows and placing
them side by side, you now just need to press
and hold the green button on the top left of an
app's window.
The introduction of split screens also uncovers
a little-known feature called Spaces. If your
desktop feels cluttered, you can spread your
apps out in groups, or Spaces. One Space
might be for your productivity apps, such as
spreadsheets. Another might be for goofing
off. If you're on a laptop, it's easy to switch by
swiping three fingers on the touchpad left
or right. That’s perfect for when your boss
suddenly walks by.
34
BETTER NOTES
The Notes app has traditionally been little more
than a word-processing app. Now, it’s possible
to drag in photos, add map locations and create
checklists. It’s also easier to sift through Web
links and attachments you've added. The Notes
app on iPhones and iPads got a comparable
update, and your notes sync across Apple
devices. You can also access them on Windows
computers through icloud.com. Android users
are out of luck.
SMARTER SEARCH
You can search for old documents using natural
language, such as “find me spreadsheets from
March 2013.’The search tool also retrieves more
types of information, including weather and
stock quotes.
SHAKY CURSOR
No doubt you've had times you've needed to
select text or move a window, but you have no
idea where the cursor went. Now, just move the
mouse back and forth rapidly, or swipe your
finger back and forth on the touchpad if it’s a
laptop. The cursor turns into a giant arrow for
better visibility.
It might remind you of those giant foam fingers
at parades and sports arenas. Freaky, but useful.
36
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MacBook
) , . s
OCULUS TAKES AIM AT MAINSTREAM
WIT INEXPENSIVE GEAR, VIDEO
Virtual reality is taking a few steps closer to
the mainstream with Samsung unveiling a
headset that brings the technology to its latest
smartphones at half the price of its previous
model, Facebook launching support for
360-degree video, and online video services like
Netflix and Hulu jumping into the format.
The announcements at a developers conference
in Los Angeles for virtual reality technology
company Oculus represent attempts to push the
platform beyond a video-gamer-focused niche.
Facebook Inc. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who cut a
deal to buy Oculus for $2 billion last year, told
some 1,500 conference attendees Thursday that
virtual reality is “the next logical step” in online
sharing after text, photos and video.
“In just a few years, VR has gone from being this
science fiction dream to an awesome reality,’
he said. “And now we all here have a chance
to change the way we play, communicate and
collaborate.’
38
39
Zuckerberg showed off a promo for the
upcoming “Star Wars” movie showing a
speeding vehicle zooming over the desert
landscape of fictional planet Jakku. Users can
look around in any direction using their mouse
as the video is playing.
Samsung said its new virtual reality headset
will be 22 percent lighter and cost $99, half the
price of its previous model. The Gear VR, which
requires users to insert the latest version of a
Samsung smartphone into the headset, will ship
in November.
Netflix content is available to be viewed in
Oculus or Samsung headsets starting Thursday,
while Hulu said it would also bring its app to
the Oculus platform where users can stream
2-D content as well as an original virtual reality
short film called “The Big One,’ from YouTube
star Freddie Wong's RocketJump production
company. A Hulu launch date wasn’t announced.
Meanwhile, Oculus said it would begin a
certification program so consumers can look
for a sticker that will identify which computers
support its Oculus Rift headset, which is due
to come out early next year. Asus, Dell and
Alienware will have certified models that cost
less than $1,000.
Online: Facebook’s 360 video announcement
41
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“TV plays a huge role in our lives, and it occupies
an important place in our homes, where we
gather and enjoy it together. There's more great
content being created today for TV than ever
before. It really is the golden age of television. As
important as TV is, the TV experience itself hasn't
changed that much in decades. We are going to
do something about that.”
That was Apple CEO Tim Cook’s preamble at
his company’s major keynote on September
9, before he removed the veil from the long-
awaited fourth generation of the Apple TV.
Though not many people would argue with
his observations, it’s also fair to say that few
companies have so far even shown much
ambition for pushing the envelope for how TV
content is consumed. Apple certainly looks like
a company with the expertise, resources and
history to finally break, rather than just fracture,
the mold.
47
ATV REVOLUTION THAT IS
ALREADY UNDERWAY
As Cook acknowledged, in recent years, far more
innovation has emerged in TV content than the
actual TV platform through which that content
is consumed. A significant move forward
in this area surely calls for a more technical
examination of the way television operates -
and Apple seems to have indicated an intention
to work to its strengths by declaring that “the
future of TV is apps”.
To a large extent, TV is already about apps.
As Cook also noted, more and more time is
being spent watching TV content through
apps on computers and mobile devices,
rather than through that little black box in the
corner of almost every living room. We could
mention - as well as more familiar favorite
apps like Netflix - the Pluto TV: TV for the
Internet apps, through which over a hundred
TV channels especially designed for online
viewing can be watched through an iPhone,
iPad or iPod Touch.
In fact, that black box could nearly be
considered old-fashioned, a relic, where it not
for Apple's plan to take the app template already
familiar on iPhone and iPad and apply it to the
traditional TV. The theory is that taking the huge
variety of content available through apps like
Pluto, including drama, comedy, music, news
and sports, and making it available through the
traditional TV set could rescue that device from
becoming a mere fossil of the media world. It
seems a logical strategy, so how exactly will the
new Apple TV work?
48
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DON’T WORRY, BE APP-Y
Like the iPhone and iPad, Apple TV will now
have a fully-fledged operating system. In this
instance, it will be called tvOS - though, as Craig
Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President
of Software Engineering, confirmed to
The Verge, it is 95% based on iOS. The new
operating system will also be accompanied by
its own App Store, which 11 million registered
developers have already been given the
opportunity and tools to populate with apps.
50
tv shows
iTunes
SCAR* D
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WITHERSP@ON
MEILLEUR FILM
MEMLEUR REALISATEOR
TIMBUKTU
The new Apple TV will even come with many
familiar built-in Apple apps, including Photos
and Apple Music, that have been especially
redesigned for the big screen. Many games
from iOS will not only also be present, but
actually enhanced. The new, accompanying
remote’s touchpad, accelerometer, gyroscope
and other features are there for developers to
utilize, opening up a myriad of new gaming
possibilities... but more about them later.
51
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53
SIRI’S HERE TO HELP - AGAIN!
Another ever-present from iOS that has
been brought over to tvOS is Siri. In fact, so
fundamental is that virtual personal assistant
to the new Apple TV that the remote will be
called the Siri Remote. As demonstrated in a
fun and informative way by Apple senior design
producer Jen Folse at the keynote, the huge
content library, which will draw from iTunes,
HBO, Netflix and more, can be searched much
more easily through even incredibly obscure
vocal requests.
During the demonstration, Siri helped Folse to
source first James Bond movies and then narrow
down the broad choice to the ones starring Sean
Connery. However, a better glimpse into how
Siri alone could hugely transform the television
experience emerged when Folse said to Siri:
“Show that Modern Family episode with Edward
Norton.’ Cue the immediate appearance of the
Modern Family page, with that specific episode
in question already selected. Siri can even skip a
few seconds behind and turn on captions if you
ask what someone on screen had just said - no
wonder the audience applauded on seeing that
in Folse’s demo...
55
THE EMERGENCE OF A NEW CONSOLE
GAMING TITAN?
The Apple TV has been so significantly bolstered
that it could even serve as a games console. A
console to rival the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One?
It might be too early to say, but there are already
some pretty big name games heading to Apple
TV. As revealed at the keynote, Guitar Hero,
Shadowmatic and Crossy Road, the latter with a
new, Apple TV-exclusive multiplayer mode, are
on the way. And, thanks to the new set-top box's
64-bit A8 processor, they should all be able to
run as smoothly as their mobile counterparts.
The Siri Remote’s glass touch surface means that
gaming on the Apple TV could feel surprisingly
similar to iOS gaming. So, iOS gaming ona
physically much larger scale? Actually, that
would be underselling it. The remote’s built-in
accelerometer and gyroscope also allows for
something rather akin to the motion-sensitive
controller of Nintendo's hugely popular Wii
console. iPhones and iPads can also be used as
controllers for multiplayer gaming, which could
help spare financial expenses of buying extra
controllers for when friends come round to the
house and fancy some social gaming.
Though the Siri Remote alone enables many
gaming possibilities that were rarely possible or
practical with iOS, the Apple TV’s compatibility
with third party controllers, including the
recently-announced SteelSeries Nimbus
controller, could take things even further. To
what extent gaming experiences could differ
from those of more established gaming consoles
remains to be seen - in fact, maybe that’s exactly
why we should be so excited...
56
Tad LID
HOW APPLE TV COULD DEVELOP
FROM HERE
The new Apple TV, it is known, will be available
in 32GB and 64GB models, priced respectively
at $149 and $199, in late October. However,
what is especially exciting about all of the new
features is that we are less certain than ever
about how the Apple TV and the experience it
offers could develop over the next few years.
So, what future developments can we predict
with at least some confidence?
One is that Apple will be bringing a web-
based streaming service to the Apple TV in
2016. It has been suggested that the service
will offer about 25 channels for a monthly
charge of $30 to $40, and that Apple has
negotiated with several content providers,
including ABC, CBS, Fox and Disney, in
preparation. There has even been, from Variety,
a report of Apple considering producing
original TV and movie content.
Looking even further ahead, Apple could move
beyond just a set-top box by manufacturing
an entire television set. If this does go ahead,
it would be a realization of a supposed vision
of Steve Jobs, who was said to be aiming for
a revolution in TV. Jobs reportedly told his
“|
biographer, Walter Isaacson: “I'd like to create
an integrated television set that is completely
easy to use. It would be seamlessly synced with
all of your devices and with iCloud. It will have
the simplest user interface you could imagine. |
finally cracked it” Now that's suddenly seeming
very familiar... m
by Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan
58
LUCASFILM SHOWS OFF VR PROTOTYPE
FOR ‘STAR VVARS' FILMMAKING
Before a planet in a galaxy far, far away is
completely constructed inside a computer or
entirely built somewhere in the real world, “Star
Wars” filmmakers are now able to visit it in virtual
reality before production commences.
Rob Bredow, a Lucasfilm visual effects supervisor
and head of the ILM Experience Lab, showed
off a prototype program Wednesday at an
industry gathering of VR creators. The program,
called V-Scout, allows filmmakers to virtually
experience mocked-up sets on an iPad and
Oculus Rift VR headset.
Bredow demonstrated the prototype at the
Oculus Connect conference with a visit to
the desert planet Jakku that will be featured
in director J.J. Abrams’“Star Wars: The Force
Awakens.’
60
61
_ ~-THE FORCE
ARE
AWAKENS
“The idea here is that you can mock up your
shots very intuitively if you're the director, the
director of photography or anybody in the
filmmaking process before you've gone out and
planned anything in any detail,” Bredow said. “In
this case, we're just looking at sketch models,
low-quality models that the art department
mocked up early in the production to work on
blocking and scale.’
During the demo, finger motions on an iPad
were used to sweep around a downed Star
Destroyer in order to frame a shot. At one point,
the Oculus Rift headset was used to simulate
standing on top of the massive space vessel
to illustrate the ship's height above the sandy
wasteland below.
Bredow said Gareth Edwards, director of the
spin-off film “Star Wars: Rogue One,’ has been
using the technology before constructing sets.
In addition to V-Scout, Bredow also showcased a
quirky computer-generated, 360-degree demo
featuring iconic “Star Wars” characters C-3PO and
R2-D2.
In the footage, the rebel droids were hiding
from Stormtroopers on the planet Tatooine. The
footage was first shown as a linear short film
before Bredow employed touch controls on
an iPad to navigate past the plot’s main action,
revealing bounty hunter Boba Fett lurking in
the background and an AT-AT combat vehicle
attacking a rebel ship off in the distance.
“We've taken pieces that might have ended up
on the cutting room floor and are exploring
them in this new medium,’ Bredow said. “It feels
natural. You don’t have to teach someone to use
this - and it’s all running on an iPad.’
63
Bredow noted that despite any perceived
similarities, the immersive form of storytelling is
neither film nor video game. It’s a new medium
that exists somewhere between them.
“We're letting you do everything but change the
story,’ Bredow said. “You can change the wind,
lighting, all of that, but not the story because
we're making the assumption in this test that
you don't want to change the story. You want to
be told a great story and see other things that
complement that.’
Lucasfilm and visual effects studio Industrial
Light and Magic launched ILMxLAB earlier this
year to create such immersive entertainment
prototypes, although their potential commercial
viability is unclear. The division has so far
released 360-degree promotional content
featuring creatures and locales depicted in such
films as Jurassic World)’“Warcraft” and “The
Force Awakens.”
Online: http://www.ilmxlab.com
. , 35
ts “2 Or wks f
“ee Aa GOOGLE'S
BOR Ti 4 -» DRIVERLESS
. CAR DRIVERS
. RIDEA
To cenit-yaon.. CAREER LESS
3 TRAVELED
After a friend recommended that he join a secret
Google project six years ago, Brian Torcellini
suddenly found himself on the road to an
occupational oxymoron. He became a driver ina
driverless car.
Torcellini, 31, leads a crew of test, or “safety,”
drivers who are legally required to ride in
Google's fleet of 48 robot cars. They only take
control in emergencies. Otherwise, they make
observations that help the Internet company’s
engineers program the cars to navigate the
roads without human assistance.
“A lot of people go to work and sit in a cubicle”
Torcellini says. “Our cube just happens to move
around the roads. And if we are successful, we
are going to put ourselves out of a job.’
The driverless cars already have logged more
than 2 million miles in six years of sometimes
tedious testing on private tracks, highways
and city streets located mostly near Google’s
Mountain View, California, headquarters.
The vehicles have traveled more than half that
distance in automated mode, with one test
driver in place to take control of the car if the
technology fails or a potentially dangerous
situation arises. Meanwhile, another driver sits
in the front passenger seat typing notes about
problems that need to be fixed and traffic
scenarios that need to be studied.
“| don’t want to compare myself to an
astronaut, but it kind of feels like that
sometimes,’ says Google test driver Ryan
Espinosa while riding in an automated Lexus
that recently took an Associated Press reporter
on a 20-minute ride around town without
requiring any human intervention.
71
. neeeal
If the technology advances as Google envisions,
the only people sitting in driverless cars by 2020
will be passengers looking for an easier way to
get around.
Even fewer test drivers will be working
because the driverless cars will be completely
autonomous, eliminating the need for the
vehicles to be equipped with steering wheels
or brake pedals. Everything will be controlled
through a combination of sensors, lasers,
software and intricate maps - a vision that could
very well leave many of Google's test drivers
looking for a new line of work.
The job requires a sense of adventure,
something Torcellini acquired when he began
to surf in high school. His other passions
include spear fishing and scuba diving, which
he likens to the sensation he gets when he
climbs into one of Google's self-driving cars
and pushes the button that activates the
vehicle's robotic controls.
“When you go scuba diving and take a moment
to really think about it, you realize you are doing
something that isn’t supposed to be humanly
possible: you are breathing underwater,’
Torcellini says. “It’s the same kind of feeling you
get in one of these cars. It’s not supposed to be
humanly possible.’
While the engineers who are programming the
robot cars have technical backgrounds, most of
the test drivers don't.
Torcellini worked in a drug store warehouse
while getting his degree in political science
at San Diego State University. He dreamed of
pursuing a career writing about surfing. He
ended up at Google in 2009 after a friend who
73
worked for the company suggested he interview
for an opening on a then-secret project.
Espinosa, 27, was working in a bicycle shop
before he was hired as a test driver two-and-half
years ago. Stephanie Villegas, 28, was a swim
instructor, knife sharpener and bond trader
before becoming a test driver. Other test drivers
are military veterans and former photographers.
They all share at least one thing in common:
spotless driving records.
Before they are entrusted with the cars, Google's
test drivers must complete three-week training
courses. The drivers are taught to take control of
the robot car whenever there is any moment of
doubt or danger.
Google employs “dozens” of test drivers but won't
reveal the precise number. It's likely around 100
because California law requires two test drivers
per vehicle, and Google's fleet currently consists
of 25 pod-like cars and 23 Lexuses.
A few of those self-driving cars Google also
recently began cruising around Austin, Texas, so
a few of the test drivers are based there.
The crew consists of a mix of full-time
employees and contractors, some of whom are
eventually hired by the company.
The drivers who start off as contractors begin
at $20 per hour with “many opportunities” for
overtime when they log more than eight hours
in a day or 40 hours in a week, according to
Google's recent help-wanted listings posted
on Glassdoor.com. The drivers who become
employees receive company stock options in
addition to their salaries, though Google won't
disclose how much they are paid.
74
——
6RES’
76
Besides having clean driving records, Google's
test drivers say the job requires a combination of
good judgment, patience and fearlessness. The
self-driving cars were in 16 accidents from May
2010 through August, but they are becoming
more frequent as the vehicles spend more
time on public roads. Half of the collisions have
happened since February - a stretch when the
self-driving cars were traveling an average of
about 10,000 miles per week on public streets in
autonomous mode. There have been no major
injuries reported so far.
77
The self-driving technology hasn't been to
blame for any of the accidents, according to
Google, though it says one collision was caused
by an employee who was steering a robot car
while running a personal errand. In all but three
of the accidents, Google's self-driving cars have
been rear-ended, a trend that the company
believes has to do with the large number of
motorists who are texting, talking on the phone
or otherwise doing something besides paying
attention to the roads and their surroundings.
set
—
79
eps
NETFLIX
#01 - iTunes U
By Apple
Category: Education
Requires iOS 8.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#02 — Facebook Messenger
By Facebook, Inc.
Category: Social Networking
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#03 - Facebook
By Facebook, Inc.
Category: Social Networking
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#04 - Instagram
By Instagram, Inc.
Category: Photo & Video
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#05 - Snapchat
By Snapchat, Inc.
Category: Photo & Video
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
— Netflix
By Netflix, Inc.
Category: Entertainment
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
ie
#10 - Layout from Instagram
By Instagram, Inc.
Category: Photo & Video
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#01 - OS X Yosemite
By Apple
Category: Utilities
X 10.68 or later
r later, 64-bit processor
- Fotor Photo Editor
By Chengdu Everimaging Science and Technology Co,, Ltd
Category: Photography
Compatibility: OS X 10.6 or later, 64-bit processor
#01 - PewDiePie: Legend of the Brofist
By Outerminds Inc.
Category: Games / Price: $4.99
Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#02 - Minecraft - Pocket Edition
By Mojang
Category: Games / Price: $6.99
Requires iOS 5.1.1 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#03 - Purify Blocker
By Chris Aljoudi
Category: Productivity / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 9.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPhone 6s,
iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad Air 2, iPad mini 3, iPad mini 4, iPad Pro and
iPod touch (6th generation).
#04 - Plague Inc.
By Ndemic Creations
Category: Games / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
ot Pass .
oe 3 ae . wk Fc #05 — Sky Guide: View Stars Night or Day
ot 2 yee <2 A * By Fifth StarLabs LLC
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Na RE RR eg IOP PAS Sass \ Requires iOS 8.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
noji Apps GmbH
jory: Utilities / Price:
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Category: Games / Price: $1.99
Requires iOS 5.1.1 or later. Compatible with iPF
#08 - Heads Up!
By Warner Bros.
Category: Games / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#09 - Afterlight
By Afterlight Collective, Inc
Category: Photo & Video / Price: $0.99
Requires iOS 6.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
#10 - Facetune
By Lightricks Ltd.
°
: ) Category: Photo & Video / Price: $3.99
| Requires iOS 7.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
Be
>
Category: Music / Price: $199.99
#01 - GarageBand
By Apple
Category: Music / Price: $4.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.9 or later
#02 - AntiVirus Sentinel Pro
By Calin Popescu
Category: Utilities / Price: $9.99
ompatibility: OS X 10.7 or later, 64-bit processor
#03 - Document Writer
By xiong feng
Category: Business / Price: $9.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.7 or later
Compatibility: OS X 10.8.4 or later, 64-bit processor
#05 - FaceTime
By Apple
Category: Social Networking / Price: $0.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.6.6 or later
#06 - BetterSnapTool
By Andreas Hegenberg
Category: Productivity / Price: $1.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.6 or later, 64-bit processor
#07 — Disk Doctor
By FIPLAB Ltd
Category: Utilities / Price: $2.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.7.3 or later, 64-bit processor
#08 — Final Cut Pro
By Apple
Category: Video / Price: $299.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.104 or later, 64-bit processor
#09 - Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro
By Systweak Software
Category: Photography / Price: $0.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.7 or later a4 oe ny x was
#10 — Fantastical 2 - Calendar and Reminders
By Flexibits Inc.
Category: Productivity / Price: $39.99
Compatibility: OS X 10.10 or later, 64-bit processor
84
Trailer
by Brad Peyton
Genre: Action & Adventure
Released: 2015
Price: $19.99
KKKKK
269 Ratings
San Andreas
As a huge, magnitude 9 earthquake and then
tsunami engulfs the whole state of California in
chaos, helicopter rescue pilot Chief Ray Gaines
(Dwayne Johnson) and his former partner
Emma (Carla Gugino) rush to San Francisco
to save their only daughter, Blake (Alexandra
Daddario). It’s no easy journey for them - and,
just as they hope they have seen the worst, the
destruction spreads...
FIVE FACTS:
1. The development of this film was first
announced in December 2011, when it
was titled San Andreas 3-D.
2. Nearly two years later, in October 2013,
Dwayne Johnson agreed to star in the
movie.
3. The first trailer for San Andreas was
released in December 2014.
4. Welsh actor loan Gruffudd appears in this
film as Daniel Riddick, Emma's new boyfriend.
5. Australian pop star Kylie Minogue also
appears as Susan Riddick, Daniel's sister.
See more in
iTunes od
4
Dwayne Johnson Interview
Magic Mike XXL
Three years after the legendary Magic Mike
(Channing Tatum) said goodbye to life as a
stripper, the rest of the Kings of Tampa have
decided to do the same. However, they remain
eager for a spectacular final performance,
where Mike would rejoin them on stage. They
take the road to Myrtle Beach and, as the last
show nears, come across surprising ways Of
letting go of their old lives.
FIVE FACTS:
1. This is the sequel to 2012's Magic Mike.
iTunes Preview |
Ol
by Gregory Jacobs
Genre: Comedy
Released: 2015
2. The other stars of this movie include Matt
Bomer, Kevin Nash and Joe Manganiello.
3. Bomer has contributed cover versions
of D’Angelo’s “Untitled (How Does It
Feel)” and Bryan Adams’“Heaven’ to tl
soundtrack. Price: $19.99
4. During production, director Gregory J > eo. oa
said that Magic Mike XXL would be “ve 118 Ratings
different” to its predecessor, descril
as a“road trip movie”.
5. As of September 24, 2015, the film h
grossed $117,813,057 globally.
Rotten Tomatoes
#62.
88
Channing Tatum Interview
91
Restless
New Order
The British rock band New Order was formed
in 1980 by the remaining members of Joy
Division following the tragic deat!
vocalist lan Curtis. However, wl
former band was very mu
outfit, New Order embrace
and synthpop to sparklin«
Complete is the band’s first album without
founding member and original bassist Peter
“Hooky” Hook.
FIVE FACTS:
1. The band’s best-known song, 1983’s “Blue
Monday’, is the best-selling 12-inch single
of all time.
2. Music Complete is only the fourth studio
album released by New Order since 1993's
Republic.
3. In their announcement of the new album
in June, New Order revealed that “where
the group has previously pushed toward
electronics or guitars, here the two are in
balance.”
4. In a positive review, The Guardian calls
Music Complete a “fresh, danceable album
with intriguing diversions”.
5. ln our own review of Music Complete on
the AppleMagazine website, we describe
it as a“return to form that could, at long last,
herald a new period of sustained popularity
for the band.”
See more in
iTunes ad
-—
94
dumblonde
dumblonde
Aubrey O'Day and Shannon Bex were
previously members of the R&B and hip hop
girl group Danity Kane. However, that outfit
disbanded in 2014 - and, this year, O'Day and
Bex formed the synthpop duo dumblonde.
Their self-titled debut album has just appeared
on iTunes and includes the songs “white
lightning’, “dreamsicle” and “tender green life”.
FIVE FACTS:
1. Danity Kane were formed in 2005, on
MTV's Making the Band reality television
series.
2. That band disbanded in 2009, before
returning to brief activity from 2013 to 2014.
3. After the band’s first break up, Shannon
Bex brought out a country music EP titled
“I’m A Woman”.
4. Bex has been married to Ron Basada
since 2003.
5. The iTunes release of this album also
includes videos for “white lightning’,
“dreamsicle” and “tender green life”.
White Lightning
96
[iTunes Preview
8) fy)
Genre: Dance
Released: Sep 25, 2015
11 Songs
Price: $9.99
KKK KK
431 Ratings
«0
Oo
2
icy
g
St
a
=
dumblonde
oa
APPLE SELLS 13 MILLION
NEW iPHONES IN 3 DAYS
Apple says it sold more than 13 million iPhone
6s and 6s Plus phones in the three days since
its iPhone launch, topping last year’s early sales
mark.
Apple sold 10 million IPhone 6 and 6 Plus
models during their first weekend last year. This
year's results include sales in China which was
included in the initial launch for the first time.
Apple said previously that preorders were so
strong that it expected to surpass last year’s
record.
PiperJaffray analyst Gene Munster said results
came in at the high end of his expectations for
sales of 12 million to 13 million. He estimates
China added about 2 million in sales.
100
101
102
“Today’s news suggests the iPhone 6 cycle is off
to a good start,” he wrote.
The new models have more memory and faster
processors, along with a new 12 mega-pixel
camera, and starts at $649. Apple and wireless
service providers are also offering leasing and
monthly installment plans.
Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc. says
the phones will be available in 40 additional
countries beginning Oct. 9 including Italy,
Mexico, Russia, Spain and Taiwan and 130
countries by the end of the year.
Apple said sales completed by Sept. 26 will be
included in Apple's fiscal fourth quarter results,
and sales completed on Sunday, Sept. 27 will be
included in Apple's first-quarter 2016 results.
Shares slipped $1.28 to $113.43 in morning
trading Monday.
103
Image: Subhav Shukla
104
MODI TOUTS SOCIAL MEDIA,
TECH DEVELOPMENT IN
FACEBOOK VISIT
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi touted
the power of social media and his own goals for
developing India’s tech economy on Sunday,
speaking to a global audience from a town hall
meeting at the headquarters of the world’s
largest social network.
Modi also vowed to improve education for girls
and bring more women into decision-making
in his country, while responding to a handful of
questions during a carefully orchestrated session
led by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
The strength of social media today is that it can
tell governments where they are wrong and can
stop them from moving in the wrong direction,
Modi said, in remarks translated from Hindi by
an interpreter.
105
We used to have elections every five years and
now we can have them every five minutes,
added Modi, who is known for using both
Facebook and Twitter to communicate with
millions of followers.
Sunday's hour-long session came during a
whirlwind tour of Silicon Valley that included
two days of meetings with the CEOs of Apple,
Google and other leading tech companies,
along with local political leaders and an
estimated 18,000 people who were expected to
attend an Indian community reception at a San
Jose sports arena.
Modi received a warm welcome from about
1,200 people at the morning session, which was
also streamed live on Facebook.
We are software engineers. This is music to
our ears, said 23-year-old Ashna Jain, reacting
to Modi’s comments. Like many young Indian
tech workers in the audience, Jain said she
liked Modi’s goals for increasing Internet
connectivity and building a tech economy
because she hopes to return home to work
in India one day.
Modi in fact struck several notes that many
tech entrepreneurs would applaud. He said he's
working to reduce government regulation of
business and crisscross the country with fiber
optic networks.
But he also scored a human note, becoming
emotional while describing his impoverished
childhood and his mother's efforts to support
his family by doing menial work. In India, there
are hundreds of thousands of mothers like that,
he added.
107
Modii’s visit to California is the first by an Indian
head of state since Indira Gandhi came to Los
Angeles in 1982, and it’s been a rallying event
for many of the tens of thousands of Indian
immigrants who work in Silicon Valley.
We're pretty hopeful about how the country
has progressed under him, said Ankur Sadhoo,
a young Facebook engineer who brought his
wife to the event.
Modi’s fans say they admire his ambitions for
Digital India, a broad program of technological
and economic development, and his promise to
end government corruption and inefficiency.
But he has critics Some activists organized
protests on Sunday to press the prime minister
over creation of a Sikh homeland, along with
alleged mistreatment of Muslims and Christians
by groups linked to his Hindu nationalist
Bharatiya Janata Party.
Modi’s schedule also included meetings with
Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook, Tesla Motors Inc. chief
Elon Musk and two Indian-Americans who have
recently become CEOs of major tech companies
Satya Nadella of Microsoft Corp. and Sundar
Pichai of Google.
They had plenty to discuss Silicon Valley
companies see India as a huge potential market
for their own expansion, while Modi wants their
help in developing his country's tech industry.
U.S. tech interests, however, would like to see
Modi trim what they view as bureaucratic and
financial restrictions on investment there.
About 300 million Indians use the Internet
but another billion don’t have access. After
meeting with Modi on Sunday, Google's Pichai
108
Image: Jeff Chiu
announced his company will provide Wi-
Fi service to 400 train stations across India,
which he said would serve 10 million rail
passengers daily.
Facebook has already launched an effort to
connect with lower-income Indians through
Zuckerberg's Internet.org project, which
promotes Internet use in developing countries
by offering free access to a package of web apps
on mobile phones.
That effort has drawn controversy, however.
Critics in India said the project favors Facebook
and a limited number of partners, while making
it more difficult for homegrown entrepreneurs
to draw traffic to their own websites.
Responding to that criticism, Zuckerberg
promised to open the program to more online
services. Facebook announced last week that
it has launched a new platform for outside
developers to contribute apps to the program.
Modi's visit comes less than a week after Chinese
President Xi Jinping met with many of the same
U.S. tech executives in Seattle. Silicon Valley
firms are eager to do more business in both
countries, although China's government has
thrown up more barriers to U.S. firms.
Modi is scheduled to fly east Monday to meet
with President Obama before returning home
to India.
111
—_ SCIENCE
LIFE ON MARS?
NASA SAYS
PLANET
APPEARS TO
HAVE FLOWING
Mars appears to have flowing rivulets of water,
at least in the summer, scientists reported
Monday in a finding that boosts the odds of life
on the red planet.
“Mars is not the dry, arid planet that we thought
of in the past,’ said Jim Green, director of
planetary science for NASA.
Scientists in 2008 confirmed the existence of
frozen water on Mars. Now instruments aboard
NASA‘s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have yielded
what researchers said is the strongest evidence
yet that water in liquid form trickles down certain
Martian slopes.
And because liquid water is essential to life, the
finding could have major implications for the
possibility of microscopic life forms on Earth's
next-door neighbor.
“It suggests that it would be possible for
there to be life today on Mars,” NASA’s science
mission chief, John Grunsfeld, said at a
Washington news conference.
The rivulets - if that’s what they are, since the
evidence for their existence is indirect - are about
12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long,
scientists said. They apparently consist of wet soil,
not standing water.
The water is believed to contain certain salts - not
ordinary table salt, but magnesium perchlorate,
magnesium chlorate and sodium perchlorate.
Like road salt used to melt ice and snow on
Earth, such compounds can prevent water from
freezing at extremely low temperatures.
That would explain how water could exist in
liquid form on Mars, which has an average
temperature of minus 85 degrees Fahrenheit.
115
Water Flowing on Present-Day Mars
In addition to supporting life, the presence
of liquid water could make things easier for
astronauts visiting or living on Mars. Water could
be used for drinking and for creating oxygen
and rocket fuel. NASA’s goal is to send humans
there in the 2030s.
Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars
exploration program, said the only definitive
way for now to determine whether there's life
on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis
on Earth, something a U.S. lander set for liftoff in
2020 will do.
“Water is one of the most precious resources
necessary for a human mission to the red
planet,’ Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, chairman
of the House science, space and technology
committee, said in a statement. “The more
evidence we find of it, the more encouraged |
—— am for future Mars missions.”
Alfred McEwen of the University of Arizona at
Tucson, a scientist on the project, said he, for
one, believes the possibility of life on Mars to be
“very high:”
The source of the briny water is a mystery.
Scientists said it could be melting ice, an
underground aquifer, water vapor from the thin
Martian atmosphere, or some combination.
The evidence of flowing water consists largely
of dark, narrow streaks on the surface that tend
to appear and grow during the warmest Martian
months and fade the rest of the year. The streaks
are in places where the temperature is as low as
10 below zero.
They were spotted by the Mars orbiter’s high-
resolution, telescopic camera, and another
on-board instrument detected the chemical
signature of salt compounds combined with
water.
McEwen said that there appears to be a
“significant volume’ of water, speculating it
could fill many Olympic swimming pools, but
that it is spread thin.
Present-day Mars is nothing like ancient Mars.
Three billion years ago, our most Earthlike
neighbor had a huge ocean, but something
radical happened, and exactly what remains
a mystery.
The notion of water and life on Mars has been
irresistible to earthlings for generations.
118
119
In 1877, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli
spied what he called “canali” on Mars - Italian for
“channels” - but the word was mistranslated as
“canals” in English, causing imaginations to run
wild. In the early 1900s, amateur astronomer
Percival Lowell claimed to have spotted
irrigation canals and theorized they were built
by Martians.
In 2008, NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed
on Mars and confirmed the long-suspected
presence of ice in the soil. The Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter has been circling the
planet since 2006.
The latest findings were published in the journal
Nature Geoscience. The lead author, Lujendra
Ojha, a doctoral candidate at Georgia Institute
of Technology, first noticed the streaks on Mars
in 2010. Ojha and colleagues speculated at the
time that they were seeing flowing water.
For NASA, at least, the timing couldn't be better.
This Friday, the NASA-approved movie “The
Martian” has its premiere.
Online: NASA
Animation of Site of Seasonal
Flows in Hale Crater, Mars
COLLEGES HELP
STUDENT STARTUPS
NAVIGATE THE
LEGAL LANDSCAPE
It seemed like a sure thing. Working on
weekends in a cramped fraternity room, four
friends at MIT built a computer program that
would give websites a new way to make money
without online ads.
Not so fast.
New Jersey's attorney general alleged the
software had been used to hijack computers.
Progress halted while authorities investigated.
After more than a year, the inquiry ended and
none of the students was charged with a crime.
But by then, this past May, another company
had already picked up on a similar idea.
122
Mass
Instit
Image: Gretchen Ertl Tech r
The case reminded the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology that, on a campus where students
are encouraged to tinker and to turn their ideas
into businesses, students had largely been left to
navigate legal obstacles alone. Now, following a
trend at colleges nationwide, MIT is partnering
with Boston University’s law school to open a
free legal clinic for campus entrepreneurs.
“There is this increasing interest among
our students to engage in innovation and
entrepreneurial activities,’ said Cynthia Barnhart,
the chancellor of MIT and an engineering
professor at the school of 11,000.“MIT students
needed exactly these kinds of services.’
Run by BU law students, the clinic helps get
protection for their intellectual property, work
with investors and avoid legal pitfalls.
125
Next year, MIT is opening a second law clinic
on Internet law, also in response to Tidbit, the
project that was investigated by New Jersey.
MIT drew scrutiny when it steered the students
elsewhere for legal help, and a nonprofit
ultimately represented them.
Jeremy Rubin, an MIT student who led Tidbit,
said the controversy had a chilling effect among
campus entrepreneurs. But with legal support
from the school, he said, students across campus
should feel free to pursue creative ideas, not just
those who can afford a lawyer.
“For students who are working on really
innovative things, they need to be able to
show people what they’re working on,’ he
said. “Making those resources available will be
immensely helpful.’
Other colleges have seen similar demand. Along
with traditional student-run legal clinics, which
serve groups like military veterans and low-
income families, more law schools are opening
clinics that aim to help startups off the ground,
especially those created on campus.
Penn State plans to open a free clinic for
entrepreneurs next year. The University of
Missouri launched one this semester. Dozens
of others have been formed at U.S. colleges
in recent years, including at the University of
Virginia and Boston's Northeastern University.
“These clinics are growing because there's an
unmet need,’ said James Greif, spokesman
for the Association of American Law Schools.
“Patent applications have tripled over the last 20
years, and small businesses make up about half
of the private sector in the U.S’’
127 |
Image: Steven Senne
Clinics give law students important work
experience, Greif said, while their clients get free
advice. Colleges, meanwhile, can get a boost
from the success stories.
“Who doesn't want to say that they were
responsible in some way for the next Google or
Facebook?” he said.
A clinic at the University of Wisconsin's helped
students start EatStreet, an online food-delivery
service. The University of Michigan helped launch
TurtleCell, a phone case with built-in headphones.
Northeastern worked with two students to get
their energy bar, Coffeebar, sold at 300 stores.
Even without a law degree, students running
the clinics can handle most cases. They draft
contracts, check the availability of trademarks
and work with investors. But there are limits. At
Northeastern, for example, students don't
submit patent applications.
“The students operate like a small startup
law firm. They make decisions as group, they
collaborate on their projects,” said Susan
Montgomery, a law and business professor at
Northeastern, who advises the clinic.
Between classes at MIT, sophomore Isaiah
Udotong visited the clinic asking how to get
nonprofit status for his fledgling startup, which
helps African companies expand their online
reach. While there, law students also urged
him to strike a formal agreement with his
co-founders.
“It's almost like a godsend,’ Udotong said. “We
were looking for legal advice and wondering
how we were going to make sure everything is
legitimate.’
128
IGS
INFINITY
One DIRECTION
HOTLINE BLING
DRAKE
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
Justin BiEBER
WILDEST DREAMS
TayLor SWIFT
DRAG ME DOWN
One DIRECTION
LOCKED AWAY (FEAT. ADAM LEVINE)
R. City
STITCHES
SHAWN MENDES
CAN'T FEEL MY FACE
THE WEEKND
ON MY MIND
EiLié GOULDING
EX’S & OH'S
Ete Kinc
131
_o—~
i came
1989
Ryan ADAms
MADE IN THE A.M.
One DIRECTION
COLD BEER CONVERSATION
GEORGE STRAIT
1989
Taylor SWIFT
THREAT TO SURVIVAL
SHINEDOWN
TANGLED UP
THOMAS RHETT
STORYTELLER
Carrie UNDERWOOD
UNCOMFORTABLE
Anpy Minéo
HIGHER TRUTH
CHRIS CORNELL
MUSICVIDEOS
WATCH ME (WHIP/NAE NAE)
SWLENTO
WILDEST DREAMS
Taytor SWIFT
SAME OLD LOVE
SELENA GOMEZ
WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
JusTin BIEBER
BAD BLOOD (FEAT. KENDRICK LAMAR)
Taytor SWIFT
UPTOWN FUNK (FEAT. BRUNO MARS)
Marx Ronson
GOOD FOR YOU
JELENA GOMEZ
CANT FEEL MY FACE
THE WeeKno
135
136
THE WITCH’S FAMILIAR
Doctor Wuo, SEASON 9
HEAVY IS THE HEAD
SCANDAL, SEASON 5
COBALT
FEAR THE WatkinG DEAD, SEASON 7
SLEDGEHAMMER
Grey’s ANATOMY, SEASON 12
IT’S TIME TO MOVE ON
How To Get Away witH Murber, SEASON 2
BRAVE NEW WORLD
Heroes REBORN, SEASON 7
SUMMER LOVIN’
Mooern Famity, SEASON 7
THE DEVILS ARE HERE
Empire, SEASON 2
ODESSA
Heroes REBORN, SEASON 7
THE DARK SWAN
Once Upon a Time, SEASON 5
IVSHOWS
137
KILLING REAGAN
But O'Renty & Martin DucarD
MAKE ME
Lee CHILD
THE MARTIAN
Anpy Weir
THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER’S WEB
David LAGERCRANTZ
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
Pauta HAWKINS
THE FIERY TRIAL
CASSANDRA CLARE & MAUREEN JOHNSON
ANGEL FALLS
Kristin HANNAH
THE ABDUCTION
M~akk Gimenez
ALPHA UNLEASHED
AMLEEN ERIN
SINFUL DESIRE
LAuREN BLAKELY
139
WHY PHONES BREAK:
SCREENS GET STRONGER,
YET VVE DEMAND MORE
Ask a roomful of people to take out their
phones, and you're bound to see several with
cracked screens.
Despite engineering breakthroughs, screen
breakage has become a part of life, the leading A
type of phone damage. A p
In part, we're to blame. We want phones that
are bigger, yet thinner, offsetting strides made rk i
in strengthening glass. We also want phones
to be sleek: A phone that’s rugged enough to ow
withstand drops just won't match what we y | \ :
expect smartphones to look and feel like. \ ‘. ~
“The tradeoff is phones get a lot bigger and
bulkier, said Rick Osterloh, president of phone
maker Motorola. “Without a really big innovation
and technological breakthrough, it's going to
be hard to (make a really tough phone) ina size
people expect.’
a
That's not to say phones aren't getting stronger.
In fact, given how frequently we use phones
throughout the day, juggling them as we
commute, run errands and chase after small
children, it’s amazing screens don’t crack even SS /
more. ——
140
141
The latest phones from the two leading phone
makers - Apple's iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, and
Samsung's Galaxy Note 5 and S6 Edge Plus - mix
zinc into the aluminum frames for aerospace-
grade strength. The frames will absorb more of
the shock that would have gone to the glass,
not to mention help prevent the phones from
bending in pockets.
The displays also use ion-strengthened glass.
Samsung uses Corning’s Gorilla Glass 4, which
gets heated in a process that replaces sodium
ions on the surface with potassium ions.
Because potassium ions are larger, they press
together to create a stronger surface - akin to
a layer of armor to protect the interior. Apple
turned to Corning for a custom glass that
goes through two rounds of ion exchange for
greater strength.
Even some budget and mid-range phones,
including Motorola's, are now using
strengthened glass, though made with older,
weaker formulas.
142
With strengthened glass, you can still pierce
the armor with enough pressure, but it’s harder
than with normal glass.
SquareTrade, which offers protection plans for
consumer electronics, said that while phone
screens used to crack after one or two drops,
the latest iPhones and the Note 5 survived 10
drops each from six feet in tests last weekend,
at least when dropped on their corners.
SquareTrade also said the new iPhone screens
are more durable than last year’s models.
(It didn’t test the Note 5’s predecessor for
comparison.)
But for all three new phones, the screens
broke right away when dropped face down on
concrete. The stronger glass improves the odds,
but the risk isn’t zero.
Scott Forester, director of innovations for
Gorilla Glass, said Corning has made strides in
withstanding the types of surfaces most likely to
puncture glass, including asphalt and concrete.
But he said that's offset by glass getting thinner
and screens bigger over the years in response to
consumer demand.
“It’s always this fine balance between practicality
and design,’ Forester said.
SquareTrade said half of its damage claims are
for screen cracks. That doesn’t include cracked
phones people hang onto because they don't
want to pay a $75 deductible.
Melissa Lefas has dropped her iPhone 5s a
few times, but its screen survived until the
phone slipped out of an open backpack while
she was carrying groceries and leaning over
to unlock a bike. It landed on a New York
sidewalk made of stone - a jagged surface
perfect for puncturing glass.
“| heard it and knew it was a goner,’ she said. “I’ve
seen so many people with cracked screens. | felt
it was a matter of time.”
Aware of consumers frustrations with breakage,
HTC is offering one free replacement for any
damage, including cracks, to its HTC One
smartphone within the first year. Unlike standard
warranties, accidents are covered.
For other phones, we might simply have to get a
case, insurance or both.
Cases offer no guarantees, but they help.
When Ben Wilson’s iPhone 5 fell out of a private
plane he was co-piloting at 9,300 feet, the case
shattered but the phone survived. It helped that
the phone landed on a pasture in northern Texas
rather than a stone sidewalk.
145
“It surprised me,’ Wilson said, talking on that
a“
still-functioning phone nearly two weeks later.
thought it would be in quite a few pieces.’
Can more be done? What about ditching glass
for something stronger?
Plastic is one candidate, but it's prone to
scratching.
Then there's sapphire, a mineral that's just short
of diamond in hardness. It’s extremely scratch-
resistant, but its resistance to cracking is up for
debate. It’s also tough to manufacture, especially
in larger sizes for phone screens. Apple uses
sapphire for the smaller displays found on pricier
Apple Watch models, as well as for the home
button and camera lens cover on iPhones.
The material used isn’t the only factor in
durability. Apple has received a patent for using
internal motors to rotate a phone as it drops
so that the glass part doesn’t hit the ground.
There's no word, though, on when we might
see this in iPhones.
It might ultimately come down to priorities.
Yes, people want phones that don’t crack, but
they also want better cameras and better video
playback, not to mention a sleeker design.
Manufacturers have to innovate in all of those
areas.
“| give manufacturers a lot of credit for continually
striving to make durability a major component
of their new designs,’ said Jessica Hoffman, a
spokeswoman for SquareTrade. “However, it just
seems they can't keep up with us.’
147
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