Daydream Impact

It’s one thing to read a news report about polar ice caps melting, but it’s another to hear the wind whipping against a towering glacier as you watch huge chunks of ice break off and tumble into the water below. With VR video, it’s possible to experience things that are rare or places that are far away or even impossible to get to. And short of actually being there, there’s no better way to understand the great challenges and opportunities of our world. Virtual reality can help people learn more and feel a part of important but distant problems.

Awareness is the first step toward driving social change, but organizations and changemakers often lack the resources or knowledge to use VR to shine a light on the causes they care about. That’s why we’re launching Daydream Impact to help organizations, creators, and changemakers make their programs even more powerful using virtual reality.

Daydream Impact focuses on three common bottlenecks we have identified: a lack of training on how to create VR video, difficulties accessing camera equipment and tools to showcase their content, and little exposure to how VR has been used creatively to tackle big challenges.

To help provide changemakers with training, we’ve created a VR filmmaking course on Coursera, which anyone can take. The course begins by outlining basic hardware requirements and pre-production checklists, and it shares tips for getting the best VR footage including best practices from other creators. The training also covers all the post-production work required to create the video and concludes with guidance on how to publish and promote the video.

Second, we’re launching a loaner program to give qualified projects access to equipment to capture and showcase VR pieces—this means a Jump Camera, an Expeditions kit, Google Daydream View and a Daydream-ready phone. Similar to our Jump Start program for creators, organization leaders will be able to apply for the program. Successful applicants will have six months to capture and refine their work and showcase it to their stakeholders.

• VR Action Lab - Daydream Impact project

• Eastern Congo Initiative Coffee COOP Eastern Congo Initiative - Daydream Impact project

• Springbok Cares - Daydream Impact project

• Rising Seas - Today and Tomorrow

We've been working with several organizations to help shape and refine this program, and they've already created VR content and programs that’s helping them advocate for their causes:

• Harmony Labs partnered with media makers, researchers, and other experts to create three VR anti-bullying pieces and pilot these experiences in schools, ultimately creating a toolkit to highlight learnings about using VR for social impact.
• Springbok Cares worked with Daydream Impact to study how VR can reduce anxiety for cancer patients during treatment, and how to integrate large-scale VR programs into hospital environments. At the same time, they also launched a program to provide virtual reality entertainment to hospital patients and staff.
• Eastern Congo Initiative partnered with Daydream Impact to create a VR film and Expeditions that explore the struggles in the Congo and the resilience of its people. Through these platforms, ECI offers policymakers, donors and students an immersive experience and an emotional connection to the cause. By doing so, ECI believes that these partnerships, education efforts and advocacy will inform and inspire change for the Congolese people.
• The Rising Seas project and oceanographer Juliette Finzi Hart are leveraging 360 videos, depth maps and VR simulations to let people experience their future coastlines now, believing that allowing people to see the future they want to be will inspire them to take action—today.

We’ll share more on upcoming projects and case studies in 2018 with World Wildlife Fund & Condition One, UNAIDS, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Starlight Children’s Foundation, Protect our Winters, and Novo Media.

It’s our hope that Daydream Impact will help organizations tell their stories more effectively, or even change the way they operate, using VR. In a world full of information, virtual reality can help advocates inspire, connect, and bring change.

Trick-or-treat for Street View Frights!

Trick-or-treat for Street View Frights!

Google LatLong by Mara Harris Yesterday

If you’re trick-or-treating on Halloween, you might see a ghost or two. But take this tour of haunted houses and spooky sites on Street View -- and the ghosts are no trick.

Our first stop is the Château Laurier, a 660,000-square-foot hotel that looms above the Ottawa River. Over the past 105 years, this architectural majesty has been graced by the likes of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. But these dignitaries are not the only ones to walk its halls over the years … the restless spirit of business tycoon Charles Melville Hays has been known to appear. He commissioned the Château Laurier, but died tragically aboard the Titanic just days before the hotel’s grand opening in 1912. It's believed his spirit returned shortly after, and on occasion has been spotted roaming inside and out.

Château Laurier in Ottawa, Canada

Head over to The French Quarter in New Orleans where both the living and dead are having a blood curdling good time. The soft sounds of jazz and the faint smell of beignets waft through the streets, but the dark side of this city is as rich as its melodies and cuisine—around every corner there are ghosts and vampires to be seen. Venture into Hotel Monteleone, where there have been many spooky sightings. This haunted hotel has a restaurant door that opens almost every evening then closes again (even though it’s locked) and an elevator that stops on the wrong floor, leading down a hallway that grows chilly and reveals the ghostly images of children playing. Stay there if you dare—you won’t know when to expect the next surprise.

Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans, US

Now let’s head to the lush green paradise on Oman Island in the Philippines. Don’t let the beautiful landscape deceive you—this place has its fair share of spirits known to pester passers by. Local lore claims there are travelers who trek in circles, never finding their way out … and travelers have reported suddenly feeling weight on their backs, almost as if local ghosts are hunched on their shoulders.

Oman Island, Ifuegao, Philipines

If iconic horror films are your jam, head on over to Georgetown, Washington, D.C., where the Exorcist was filmed. In “The Exorcist,” the character Father Damien Karras fell to his death down  this flight of stairs (though they were padded with half an inch of rubber). The film crew had to construct a false front to the house from which Karras fell, since the actual house was set back slightly from the steps. When the filming took place, Georgetown University students charged people $5 each to watch the stunt from the school’s rooftops.

Georgetown, Washington D.C.  US

“Let the Right One In” is a Swedish film about a bullied 12-year-old boy who befriends a vampire child in Blackeberg, Stockholm, in the early 1980s. Check out the town square of Blackeberg


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blackeberg

, where Eli the vampire leaps down on Virginia from a tree.

Blackeberg, Stockholm, Sweden

That completes our tour, but beware of spooky things of which you may not be forewarned— for this is Halloween!

Cat Phone - Tough Design and Massive Battery

Cat Phone - Tough Design and Massive Battery

NEW YORK, October 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

Cat phones introduces the Cat S41, a rugged and resilient smartphone with a massive and powerful battery, designed to keep users connected no matter what challenges the day presents.

Key Specifications include: 

1. 5000mAh battery with up to 38 hours of 3G talk time or 44 days standby
2. Charge other devices and accessories with the Battery Share power bank feature - cable provided
3. Waterproof/Dust proof (IP68), drop tested to 5 feet 9 inches onto concrete, MIL SPEC 810G, Gorilla Glass 5 protected
4. Android™ Nougat
5. 3GB RAM, 32GB ROM. Expandable storage (microSD™ up to 2TB)
6. MediaTek octa-core 2.3GHz chipset
7. 13MP rear camera with LED flash, autofocus with PDAF, 8MP front camera - both with underwater mode functionality
8. LTE Cat 6, VoLTE, VoWiFi
9. Super bright 5" FHD display, optimized for outdoor use with a touchscreen that can be used with wet fingers or gloves
10. Textured, extra grip design
11. Programmable Shortcut Key useful for Push to Talk (PTT), SOS (Lone Worker app), or to easily launch flashlight or camera
12. Curated apps and content catalog

The Cat S41 smartphone has an MSRP of $449 and is available to order online at http://www.catphones.com, as well as leading retailers including Amazon.com, BestBuy.com, eBay, The Home Depot and B&H.

Google Earth Chrome

via GIPHY

via GIPHY
 

  

Red Hen GeoVideoLIVE with Mapillary

Bubble Cams... More coming..

Keeping Touch... Maps of Position versus Relation?

https://blog.google/products/maps/share-your-trips-and-real-time-location-google-maps/  

Share your trips and real-time location from Google Maps
Daniel Resnick

“Where are you now?” and “What's your ETA?” Whether you’re heading to a party or meeting up for dinner, you probably hear questions like this pretty often from family and friends. Soon Google Maps users worldwide will be able to answer those questions in just a few taps, without ever leaving the app. On both Android and iOS, you’ll be able to share your real-time location with anyone. And the people you share with will be able to see your location on Android, iPhone, mobile web, and even desktop. Here’s how it works in a real-world scenario:

Location Sharing in Google Maps

Whenever you want to let someone know where you are, just open the side menu or tap the blue dot that represents where you are. Tap “Share location” and then select who to share with and how long to share—and you're done! You can share your real-time location with your Google contacts, or even share with friends and family by sending a link on your favorite messenger apps. When you’re sharing your location, the people you’ve chosen to share with will see you on their map. And you’ll see an icon above the compass on your own map reminding you that you’re actively sharing your location. You can change your mind and stop sharing at any time—it’s entirely up to you.

Sharing Your Location

Next time you’re on your way or running late, you can share your real-time location and trip progress from navigation as well. During your next trip, tap the “More” button on the bottom on the navigation screen, and then tap “Share trip.” When you share your trip with people, they’ll see your expected arrival time and can follow your journey as you head toward your destination. Sharing automatically ends when you arrive.

Sharing a Trip

Location sharing on Google Maps is rolling out soon worldwide, and you’ll be able to quickly let your friends and family know where you are and when you’ll get where you’re going. The answer to “where are you?” is only a tap away.

Planet - Your Daily Satellite Imaging Source 

Planet, the global imaging company that recently acquired Google’s Terra Bella satellite imaging business, is introducing a new tool called Planet Explorer Beta that allows its users to view how its image captures of Earth from space change over time. It’s available to the public without a login, which means petty much anyone can check out what a particular spot on the planet looked like over a monthly or quarterly period. 

Planet co-founder and CEO Will Marshall explains in a blog post that the company has noticed that, as it captures images of the same spots over time, almost all places undergo some visible change. Planet’s satellite network captures a lot more imagery than has typically been available, and on a more frequent basis — it can collect a new snapshot of every piece of land on Earth daily, via its network of 149 orbital satellites — and it says things change at least mostly almost invariably across the planet. 

This company recently launched a couple dozen of micro satelites that allow imaging evey day everywhere. Quite amazing... 

Great field management decisions depend on timely and accurate information, to identify problems before they impact yield. That's why Planet delivers data in near real time with a best-in-class automated pipeline, online tools, and easy-to-use formats. Now you can spend less time waiting for decision-making inputs, and more time taking action. 

Use Planet APIs to seamlessly integrate your applications and workflows with our data 
View your areas of interest multiple times during the growing season 
Instantly access archived imagery (since 2009), to analyze and predict trends 

Short Video of Montly Vegetative Index 

Planet for Agriculture.... This is Worldwide... Even on your Cellphone! 

There’s obviously a business aim with Planet’s decision to launch Explore Beta publicly with no login required — use of the resulting images is limited to non-commercial purposes, and Planet hopes this will drive free account sign-ups, which unlock access to not only monthly and quarterly change imagery, but also daily comparisons. And these hooks are likely to convert at least some users into paid subscribers, which allows them to use the available data for commercial use. 

https://www.planet.com/ 

500 Strong... Where to next?

Remember when quadcopter drones juggled balls and formed up into a Star Trek logo? That seems downright quaint compared to what we just saw at Lady Gaga's elaborately produced Super Bowl halftime show. During her first number, 300 Intel drones formed the shape of an American flag, punctuating the singer's wire-assisted fall to the stage below. 

https://www.engadget.com/2017/02/06/intel-drones-form-us-flag-for-lady-gagas-halftime-show/ 

What is WebVR?

What is WebVR

In the past year, Google has focused on making virtual reality a better user experience. At Google I/O 2016 the company introduced Daydream VR mode in Android Nougat, which is a far better VR experience than Google Cardboard ever was. Google is continuing this trend by adding WebVR support to Chrome, arriving in Chrome 56 as an origin trial.

WebGL, a subset of OpenGL that allows web pages to render 3D graphics, has been around for years. With WebGL and WebVR, web pages can create immersive 3D environments at high frame rates (if you have a decent device, that is). 

Below is one of the demos, running at a smooth 60FPS on my Google Pixel once everything is loaded (the recording itself is not 60FPS).Viewing works equally well in all VR headsets - whether it's a Google Cardboard or a Daydream VR headset. Developers can also choose to use the Daydream controllers, Google Cardboard button, and other input devices as controllers.

While WebVR in Chrome 56 does not require enabling any flags in Chrome settings to use, the WebVR API is still under development, and as such the feature is marked as an origin trial. This means that websites have to whitelist themselves with Google to use the feature. If you have Chrome 56, you can try out some WebVR samples here.

Bluebird Morning Song