Games have always been used to build community, with current examples like the Anti-Imperialist Bundle (supporting a local chapter of the MTST Solidarity Kitchen in Brazil) and the Queer Games Bundle, which directly benefits queer game designers. We are also in the middle of the second annual KiwiRPG week!
Iconic synth manufacturer Moog has been acquired by super conglomerate inMusic, joining other brands snatched up by the company like Alesis, Akai, M-Audio and, well, a bunch more. In a statement, Moog president Joe Richardson says the acquisition could help the company overcome “ongoing challenges”, citing global distribution supply chain concerns.
To that end, chip shortages and various supply chain issues have plagued the company since early Covid, leading to stark price increases for some of its flagship instruments, as originally reported by Synth Anatomy and others. Moog has managed to stay an independent brand for decades, since the 1960s, so this is something of a shock for the synthesizer world.
Moog says it’ll still be developing synthesizers at its Asheville, North Carolina headquarters but makes no mention about the manufacturing process. To this day, many of the iconic instruments under the company’s umbrella are manufactured in the USA, so we’ll keep an eye on if that changes. Alesis, also owned by inMusic, designs its products in America but manufactures them in China.
There’s also the idea of brand cross-pollination. In the announcement letter, Richardson says the acquisition will allow Moog to “enhance the capabilities of inMusic and its exclusive brands.” Does this suggest a future Moog synth with actual Akai MPC pads or a budget-friendly Alesis synthesizer that takes advantage of Moog’s audio-shaping expertise? We shall see. In the meantime, Moog just celebrated its 70th anniversary with a Model D-inspired web app and recently released the Moog One, its most ambitious (and expensive) instrument ever.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/moog-acquired-by-conglomerate-inmusic-joining-akai-and-alesis-164536639.html?src=rss
When it comes to academic projects, the adaptability of a Raspberry Pi-based undertaking is hard to surpass. Alexander Calvert and Nathan Ferguson, Monash Engineering students, have crafted an impressive quadruped robot known as the Dingo, employing the renowned Raspberry Pi single-board computer (SBC). Their objective was to develop an economical solution suitable for research purposes while remaining flexible enough to accommodate additional components.
The robot demonstrates various degrees of locomotion control. Users can fine-tune parameters such as pitch, roll, yaw, and speed — moreover, the Dingo possesses the ability to crouch and transport lightweight objects. The duo has ingeniously utilized a PlayStation 4 controller to operate the robot remotely. Notably, their work is inspired by Stanford’s Quadruped project, which is publicly available on GitHub.
While the team aimed to create an affordable robot, the overall cost might dissuade certain hobbyists; they have thoughtfully compiled a comprehensive component list that amounts to over $1,300, even so, it is feasible to substitute some of the parts with more cost-effective alternatives, albeit sacrificing performance in specific aspects. The robot’s body can be 3D-printed and its design is open source, enabling anyone to fabricate their own or make modifications. The necessary files can be found on GrabCAD.
The Dingo is controlled primarily by the Raspberry Pi 4 B, with additional support from an Arduino Nano. The extensive hardware array includes 12 servos, priced at $44.49 each, resulting in a total cost of over $530 for the servos alone. For a complete list of parts, refer to the project’s GitHub page.
Dingo, the low-cost open-source robot quadruped.
Operating on the Ubuntu operating system, the Dingo necessitates a few additional tools for assembly, such as VSCode and ROS Noetic. The software package also incorporates custom Python scripts to manage controller input. For a more detailed insight into the software aspect of Dingo’s design, visit the official Dingo Quadruped GitHub page.
If you’re intrigued to witness the Raspberry Pi Quadruped in action, the students have shared a demonstration video on YouTube, which you can find in this very article. If you’re also excited about the project, show your support and appreciation for their diligent efforts throughout this semester. Furthermore, stay tuned for the future endeavors of these talented individuals as they continue to embark on innovative projects.
Meet Dingo, The Low-cost Open-source Robot Quadruped
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Sphere Studios has unveiled its latest creation, the astounding Big Sky cinema camera, which showcases a remarkable 18K sensor with 316-megapixel HDR (a 40x resolution increase over existing 4K cameras, according to the company). This revolutionary camera is poised to redefine the frontiers of cinematography through its cutting-edge technological advancements.
The Big Sky camera is equipped with an unprecedented 18,432 x 8,704 pixel sensor, capable of capturing images with extraordinary intricacy. With such an exalted resolution, filmmakers will enjoy the freedom to crop, pan, and zoom while preserving unparalleled image quality.
The Big Sky camera promises to be the future of entertainment boasting a wide dynamic range, which allows it to capture shadows and highlights with remarkable precision.
According to Petapixel, One of the standout characteristics of this camera lies in its ability to record videos at an astonishing 8K resolution, yielding breathtakingly sharp footage. This level of clarity opens up infinite possibilities for post-production, enabling filmmakers to attain unrivaled precision and meticulousness in their final creations.
In addition to its remarkable sensor and resolution capabilities, the Big Sky camera boasts a wide dynamic range, allowing it to capture shadows and highlights with remarkable precision. This feature ensures that filmmakers can achieve their desired aesthetic and ambiance, even when faced with challenging lighting conditions.
The Big Sky camera system is described as a groundbreaking ultra-high-resolution camera system and custom content creation tool developed in-house at Sphere Studios to capture stunning video for the world’s highest resolution screen at Sphere.
Moreover, this camera — which is not for sale yet — offers an extensive array of professional-grade features, including interchangeable lens mounts, robust image stabilization, and versatile connectivity options. These attributes transform the Big Sky camera into a flexible instrument that can effortlessly adapt to diverse shooting scenarios and workflows.
Sphere Studios’ Big Sky camera, with its groundbreaking 18K sensor, establishes an unprecedented standard in the realm of cinematography. Through its remarkable resolution, wide dynamic range, and professional-grade features, this camera empowers filmmakers to transcend the boundaries of their creative vision and deliver awe-inspiring visual masterpieces.
Big Sky: Sphere Studios Unveils Game-Changing 18K Camera Sensor
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Astronomers have made a remarkable discovery, finding a unique exoplanet system that resembles Tatooine, the fictional home of Luke Skywalker (don’t forget to check out our Star Wars-related news). Speculation among scientists about the existence of planets orbiting twin suns has been ongoing for some time, and now their theories have become a reality.
Binary star systems, where two stars revolve around each other, are quite prevalent in the Milky Way galaxy, with nearly half of the sun-like stars being part of such systems. Until recently, only 14 circumbinary planets, which orbit both stars of a binary system, had been definitively confirmed.
The prevailing belief was that the binary stars would disrupt planetary formation due to the turbulent environment created by their gravitational interaction — however, the discovery of Kepler-16b in 2011 challenged this assumption and demonstrated the feasibility of circumbinary planet formation.
An illustration of TOI-1338b. (Image credit: NASA)
The most recent study focused on the binary system TOI-1338, located around 1,320 light-years away in the constellation Pictor. In 2020, NASA’s TESS space telescope detected a circumbinary planet named TOI-1338b orbiting the binary stars of TOI-1338. Although the scientists’ original intention was to determine the mass of TOI-1338b, they unexpectedly came across another planet.
This newly found celestial body has been designated as BEBOP-1c, named after the project responsible for gathering the data—Binaries Escorted By Orbiting Planets (BEBOP). BEBOP-1c is a colossal gas giant, approximately 65 times the mass of Earth yet five times lighter than Jupiter. It completes an orbit around its twin suns at a distance of roughly 79% of the average span between Earth and the sun, requiring approximately 215 days to complete a full revolution.
An artist’s concept that illustrates Kepler-16b, the first planet known to definitively orbit two stars, what’s called a circumbinary planet. (Image: “In the Light of Two Suns” by NASA Universe)
In comparison, TOI-1338b orbits its stellar counterparts at roughly 46% of an astronomical unit (AU) and has an orbital period of approximately 95 days. The estimated mass of TOI-1338b is at most 22 times that of Earth. TOI-1338b was discovered by a high school student utilizing the TESS space telescope, which observed the planet transiting in front of its brighter star on multiple occasions, allowing the researchers to estimate its size.
Unlike TOI-1338b, the detection of BEBOP-1c relied on the radial velocity technique. This method involves observing the oscillatory motion of the stars caused by the gravitational influence of orbiting planets. The discovery of BEBOP-1c solely through this technique holds great significance, as most circumbinary planets have been identified using transit observations made by expensive space telescopes like Kepler and TESS.
Detecting circumbinary planets using the radial velocity technique is challenging due to the interference arising from the combined light of both stars. Nevertheless, the BEBOP project concentrates on binary systems where the secondary star is notably smaller and dimmer than the primary star, minimizing interference.
Although these types of binary star systems are less prevalent, future advancements in data analysis techniques will enable the detection of planets encircling binary systems with equally sized stars. Currently, only two planets are known in the TOI-1338/BEBOP-1 system, but scientists anticipate the discovery of more in the future. Further research endeavors aim to ascertain the precise dimensions of BEBOP-1c and the mass of TOI-1338b.
Additionally, scientists plan to investigate the atmospheric chemistry of circumbinary planets and compare them to planets orbiting solitary stars, which will provide valuable insights into the process of planetary formation. The findings of this study were published in the journal Nature Astronomy on June 12th.
Tatooine-Like Exoplanet BEBOP-1c Discovered Orbiting Twin Suns
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The coup-attempting former commander in chief made history by becoming the first ex-president ever to be indicted on federal charges.
Games have always been used to build community, with current examples like the Anti-Imperialist Bundle (supporting a local chapter of the MTST Solidarity Kitchen in Brazil) and the Queer Games Bundle, which directly benefits queer game designers. We are also in the middle of the second annual KiwiRPG week!
After learning of a plot by the Ukrainian military to blow up the Nord Stream pipeline last summer, the CIA warned the embattled nation’s government not to move ahead with its plans, according to new reporting from the Wall Street Journal.
Google just added a bunch of new features for Pixel smartphone owners in a system update. First of all, there’s a major improvement to the car crash detection feature, as it now not only contacts emergency services but automatically shares real-time location information with emergency contacts. To that end, the update also makes it easier to start emergency sharing or schedule a safety check by allowing for voice controls.
The recording feature got a major update here, with a new ability to export transcripts into Google Docs and generate labels based on who’s speaking so you can easily find the clip you want later. The photo timer also got a refresh, letting you initiate self-timed photos by raising your palm to start a countdown. This only works for Pixel 6 phones and newer.
If you have the well-reviewed Pixel 7 Pro, there’s an update to macro focus as the feature can now handle both still photography and video for detailed footage of a beetle climbing a flower or whatever. For all Pixel phone owners, Google Assistant is getting a glow up, with an array of new voice options and new language options. It also wouldn’t be a system update without some kind of emoji tomfoolery, so there’s new emoji wallpapers that let you mix and match images with patterns and colors to create unique backgrounds. The update brings even more wallpaper goodness via dynamic cinematic (3D) options.
Pixel Watch owners were not left out in the cold here, as there’s a new heart rate tool that tracks the upper and lower limits of your threshold, an auto-pause tool and the long-awaited blood oxygen tracker. These features are dropping now but it could take a few days, or weeks, before the update reaches your device.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/pixel-phones-receive-a-slew-of-new-features-like-improved-car-crash-detection-170045659.html?src=rss
The “Swarm” actor doesn’t need you to like every project she’s in, but you will fall in love with her performance.
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