This looks like Apple is ripping off the old 1989 Amiga commercial. But I think the old Amiga commercial wasn't so "in your face".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

The film industry has undergone significant transformation with the emergence of streaming platforms. Companies like Netflix have become major players in content production, creating films specifically designed for streaming rather than theatrical release.

This shift has several implications for the industry. The talent pool has become increasingly dispersed as creative professionals pursue opportunities with these new production entities. While established franchises such as Mission Impossible continue to be developed by traditional studios like Paramount, the overall ecosystem has changed dramatically.

Simultaneously, production companies such as Blumhouse have pioneered cost-effective filming approaches, demonstrating that commercially viable content can be created with substantially reduced budgets. This represents another significant disruption to conventional production models.

These developments collectively suggest a challenging future for traditional movie theaters. The combination of streaming platforms competing for talent, established franchises maintaining their theatrical presence, and innovative production strategies emphasizing efficiency has fundamentally altered how films are financed, created, and distributed.

The industry now operates within a more complex environment where streaming services, traditional studios, and nimble production companies all compete for audience attention across multiple viewing platforms.

Keep in mind that the smartphone and tablet industry tends to progress more through evolution than revolution. Advancements typically involve incremental improvements, such as better cameras, faster processors, and increased memory.

Over the past decade, there haven't been many groundbreaking innovations that have truly disrupted the industry.

I watched the "Project Turntable" video, and that is unbelievably cool.

To work, the AI has to recognize what the drawing represents, figure out how to reverse-transform the 2D representation into a 3D object, and work out what the hidden parts should look like. It's amazing.

It's only a short step between this and working out walk cycles, matching mouth movements to dialogue, adding facial expressions, etc.

This will revolutionize 2D animation.

Waze already does this. It activates when you're stopped, it goes away if you're in motion. I've also not seen it when you are stopped at a turn on your route. Only at straight-thru stops.

Not that this is a good thing anyhow, but it's the price you pay for a free service.

That having been said, Osmand and Sygic are paid and don't have ads.

Everyone knows the Echo is a dumb box without the Amazon service behind it. So, how does Amazon plan to handle the massive amount of recycling needed when people decide they don't care to pay more money for a glorified alarm clock?

Best Buy has been in a downward spiral ever since physical media disappeared.

This is what mostly killed both Circuit City (DIVX really) and Fry's.

The only one I know that is still doing ok is MicroCenter and they have gone more the "geek" route, with desktop components and things like Raspberry Pis and Arduinos. They also haven't focused on TVs, which you can buy much cheaper at Costco, Sam's Club, or even Amazon.

The "center" of Best Buy (where the media used to be) has become almost like an "as seen on TV" section (a bunch of cheap, overpriced junk)

For the rest of the stuff, they mostly have the same things as Amazon, but with a 20% - 30% markup.

Did anyone forget that the original idea of these apps was ride-sharing?

I'm not sure this was ever intended to be a "job" for the drivers.

The original idea of these apps was ... Going "downtown"? You can pick up someone else who's going that way, save the environment, and maybe make a buck or two to pay for your gas.

Again, I understand that these are treated differently now, and it seems like the companies behind the apps are also instating policies that indicate they are treating it as more than that.

But, if they are going to make companies pay extra for every driver then it kind of eliminates the original idea altogether and kills the idea of doing it as a "gig".

Google announced that the Pixel 7 phones would get 5 years of security updates and monthly feature upgrades.

I can think of some very specific use cases, like security vehicles in large complexes (think industrial plants, warehouses, and similar facilities).

It would still be fairly expensive, but I imagine if a company was running EV delivery vans (such as Amazon), this might be an enticing technology.

One would assume that "ripping up a perfectly good roadway" is only being done as a proof of concept. This means this is not part of the real cost of the product.

In the future, roadways would be replaced as necessary, and this technology would be incorporated into the new surface (such as rumble strips).

I think the bigger question for this is how would you pass the cost of the electricity used to the owner of the vehicle?

I could see this technology used more in the parking lots of office buildings and/or as part of a garage floor. I see this as a better alternative than everyone having to plug into a charger that can be easily damaged.

This is more a case of a new, big player that has changed with the market buying an old player that hasn't changed with the market.

That's the case with at least half of these recent mergers.

The other ones are companies that have botched a project or two and were in a position to be bought (mostly the Microsoft purchases).

The only one that seems backward was AT&T buying Warner, but that's going away anyhow and I think that was more AT&T throwing around their money to try and buy into a market.

We will likely see more of these as the migration from movie theaters and cable tv to streaming happens (Covid really sped up the movie theater thing though).

And, while it's always sad to see these old companies be absorbed, this actually happens in a healthy market. (i.e. the automotive industry)

I think the Russians have this figured out.

Their trains are dual-power.

They can use diesel to generate electricity if needed, but they also have a pantograph to use overhead lines where it is available.

This solves the issue of electrifying rarely used sections and also gives them a backup if the overhead lines are not working.