mlsentertainment

ROUND TRIP TICKETS TO MT EVEREST & MARS AT 2016 GPU; ASTRONAUT STEVE WOZNIAK – FIRST MAN ON MARS

Posted on April 16, 2016 by mlsentertainment

At the opening keynote at the 2016 GPU Technology Conference, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang looks at Everest through VR. Photo by Marcus Siu

Article and Photos by Marcus Siu

SAN JOSE, CA April 5, 2016 – CEO of Nvidia, Jen-Hsun Huang, addressed the capacity crowd with his opening keynote at the 2016 GPU Technology Conference at the San Jose Convention Center, and cites VR technology as rapidly growing, along with its components that are continuously improving to accommodate the platform.

He remarked that the biggest advantage for VR over the years was when LCD displays took over and replaced CRT monitors, making it much lighter and thinner, so users can put on head mounts without falling over due to being too bulky and heavy. In addition, the resolution of displays continue to get better, and computer graphics performance continue to improve, making the combination of all to help enable the new platform to allow new applications and new experiences for the user.

A prospective shopper checking out the trunk space in Paris at a Virtual showroom demo at the Audi Booth at the 2016 GPU Technology Conference. Photo by Marcus Siu

So far, gaming has been the primary point of VR, but that’s about to shift. Huang says that VR will change the way we will design and experience products, such as shopping for cars; basically it’s like being in a virtual showroom. It will be as though you are standing right over (or under) your custom made designed car without having to worry about a haggling salesman over your shoulder. At the conference, Audi had a demonstration booth that was using ZeroLight’s real time 3D technology, which allowed you to walk to your custom-made configured car, open its doors so you can check out the car’s interior. You can also check out how much space it has in the back trunk. Interestingly, in their demo, you could even check out the car in Paris, or even on the moon.

For more information on ZeroLight: www.zerolight.com

AUDI VR Experience – Courtesy of Audi/Zerolight

The VR demonstrations were quite impressive. There were two demos; “Everest VR” and “Mars 2030”.

“VR can take you places that you can only dream of; places that are too dangerous for example”…

For “Everest VR”, Nvidia partnered with Sólfar, a Nordic VR games company, and RVX, a Nordic visual effects studio for motion pictures, helping movies, such as “Gravity”, win Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. They started by taking 108 billion pixels of images, which is equivalent to 14,000 8 Mb pictures, and reconstructed Mount Everest, pixel by pixel…and then rendered it all into 3D. They used graphics to simulate the swirling snow, all in real time. They basically created the definite CGI model of Mount Everest, using advance stereophotogrammetry.

For “Mars 2030”, Nvidia worked with the engineers and scientists at NASA, along with Fusion VR, meticulously taking images from dozens of satellite flybys of Mars. They reconstructed the surface using 8 square kilometers of the Mars surface; rocks were hand sculpted, with millions of them being carefully placed, based on satellite images.

The stunning details are all there. The look and sound of the simulated rover, the lighting of the environment of the habitat with its global illumination dynamic range, the latitude with lava carving in through the massive sub terrain caves, even the look of the space suit which were all from the original designs at NASA.

Billions and billions of dollars were used for R&D. Talk about production value.

As soon as Wozniak slipped on his headset mount over his head, he was transported immediately.

“I can maneuver myself, I can control myself…I got to find the rover now…there’s the rover…WHOA!!! Why do I feel weird like I’m actually moving…now I’m in the rover, I can spin it around a little…WHOA! OMG!!!

“Wow! Am I on Everest after the global warming?”, Wozniak jokes, with the conference crowd enjoying his child-like enthusiasm. “This is going to be incredible whoever really gets do this…”

After awhile of spinning around in his rover, Wozniak quips, “I’m getting dizzy…I’m going to fall out of this chair”.

At the opening keynote at the 2016 GPU Technology Conference, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang invited Apple co-founder, Steve Wozniak via video chat, to climb aboard and put on his head mount to be the first person to experience Mars. Photo by Marcus Siu.

“Well, Woz, that was not a helpful comment”…”I’ll let you know when you can help me again”, Huang replied back, with the crowd laughing behind him, knowing exactly what Wozniak was probably going through.

Yes, VR may be in its infancy stage, and there are still a number of obstacles to work on, but the future looks exhilarating for the world of VR. Just point me to the line where to get my round trip tickets to places where no man has gone before.

At the opening keynote at the 2016 GPU Technology Conference, Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang shows us what it’s like to be in the rover on the planet Mars. Photo by Marcus Siu

Posted in Entertainment, Technology | Tagged 2016 GPU Technology Conference, EVEREST, GPU 2016, JEN-HSUN HUANG, MARS 2030, NVIDIA, VR, WOZNIAK | Leave a comment

TESLA MODEL 3 HITS THE MAINSTREAM

Posted on March 31, 2016 by mlsentertainment

The massive line at the Broadway Shopping Center in Walnut Creek, CA wrapped with hundreds of people at the Tesla showroom in the morning before the store opens.

Article and photo by Marcus Siu

WALNUT CREEK, CA March 31, 2016 -The massive line outside wasn’t for the latest Apple iPhone SE at the Apple Store, but was at the Tesla showroom at the upscale Broadway Shopping Center in the city of Walnut Creek where hundreds of eagerly people, lined up and even camped out, early in the morning just before the store’s opening.

They were all ready to plunk down a $1000 deposit to secure a spot in line for Tesla’s highly anticipated Model 3, an electric vehicle (EV) which hasn’t even been even disclosed to the public yet that will get released late next year. This was a similar scene at all Tesla dealerships all around the country and the world.

The car will be disclosed at an event hosted by CEO, Elon Musk at their Tesla headquarters in Hawthorne, California, tonight.

The Model 3 will be the first affordable electric car that Tesla targeted for the mainstream public that has a range, expected at least to have a range of 200 miles on a single charge.

The $35,000 base price is less than half of that of their other luxury vehicles that start at $70,000; the Models S and X. In addition, there are federal incentives that could decrease the final price to another $7,500, as well as additional state incentives depending on which state you are from. Of course, those incentives will run out soon with lines like these.

Back in 2006, the “master plan,” as CEO Elon Musk laid out, was simple: Sell high-priced, luxury electric vehicles to garner demand for the production of a mass-market vehicle and the infrastructure required to support it.

From the looks of these lines forming at their dealerships, it looks like the demand for a mass-market vehicle is starting to look very real and the public may be embracing electric vehicles, after all.

Amidst the competition, Tesla is at the forefront and leader of EV technology, and way ahead of everyone else, which means that they are also well ahead of the game with the future of autonomous driving that is just around the corner. They are also the best “connected” cars on the market with the most advanced technology backing them up.

Just like Apple fans, it looks like there is similar enthusiasm for Tesla fans, as it looks like the Model 3 is a “must have”, but like the iPhone, you still might have to charge it every night.

…but at least you don’t have to fill up $50 in gas every time you go to the gas station.

Posted in Technology, Uncategorized | Tagged autonomous driving, EV, Model 3, Tesla | 1 Comment

AND THE OSCAR GOES TO…

Posted on February 28, 2016 by mlsentertainment

THE REVENANT

DF-02339R – Leonardo DiCaprio stars as legendary explorer Hugh Glass.

Article by Marcus Siu

LOS ANGELES, FEBRUARY 27, 2016: The balloting has closed last Tuesday, and the votes are now in at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and only a few selected qualified auditors at Price Waterhouse knows who the winners are, but we can still predict with a reasonable outcome who will win the Academy Award on Sunday, even without the famous black briefcase that holds the ballots that eventually hits the red carpet and onto the stage at the Kodak Theatre where the ceremonies are held.

For at least a month after it opened in late November during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, “Spotlight” was the forerunner in the race for “Best Picture”. However, that was well over three months ago. Since then, “The Big Short” won the Producers Guild of America, and “The Revenant” took the Golden Globe. Even though, “Spotlight” took the Best Ensemble at SAG, which is the Screen Actors Guild’s equivalent award for Best Picture, the momentum has changed.

Most likely, “The Revenant” will take the big statue at the Oscars tomorrow night, as it excelled in numerous categories that it’s rival nominees lacked, leading the pack with 12 nominations. In addition, it will take Best Actor, Best Director, and Cinematography, and maybe another one or two technical awards.

For the Best Actor Category, Leonardo DiCaprio, has it locked after being nominated five times in the last twenty years, including his first back in 1994, at the age of 19, for “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape”, starring Johnny Depp as his older brother. This year, he has taken all the major awards, including the Golden Globes, SAG, and just recently, the BAFTA (The British Oscars).

Like DiCaprio, Brie Larson, should be a shoo-in for her mesmerizing performance in “Room”, where she plays a captive mother for seven years, living with her five year old son, played superbly by Jacob Tremblay, who deserved to have been nominated himself. If the Academy had seen her previous film, “Short Term 12”, which hardly anyone seen, she would have received equal acclaim and recognition just three years ago. Cate Blanchett’s extraordinary portrayal of “Carol”, doesn’t stand a chance against Larson.

Jacob Tremblay and Brie Larson in “Room”. Credit: Photo by George Kraychyk, courtesy of A24.

Best Supporting Actress will most likely go to import Alicia Vikander for “The Danish Girl”, who has gotten much exposure over the last year. The Swedish crossover actress last year made a few noteworthy films in the U.K., including “Ex Machina”, “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”, and the “Testament of Youth”. Her only other possible rival Kate Winslet, who also had a banner year with her nominated performance in “Steve Jobs”, and an Australian film, “The Dressmaker”, which hits the States next month.

The real fun belongs in the Best Supporting Actor category. Historically, the winner of the Screen Actors Guild usually goes on to take the award, but this year’s winner, Idris Elba, a great actor of “diversity”, was not even nominated this year, even though he won for Best Supporting Actor at the BAFTA’s for “Beasts of No Nation”. Out of the five Oscar nominees, all the others (Rylance, Bale, Ruffalo, Hardy) are equally deserving.

However, the iconic Sylvestor Stallone, who won the Golden Globe, looks like he will likely be the victor. In addition, he may be able to help save the Academy’s “diversity” issue by giving a nice speech acknowledging that “Creed’s” Michael B. Jordan deserves to be in his place, instead of him. That would be a true “Rocky” ending. “Yo Rock!”….

Last year’s Best Director winner for “Birdman”, Alejandro G. Innaritu, will be only the third person to win back-to-back victories for a director. Though, his film, “The Revenant”, like “Birdman”, is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, no one can complain about his masterful visceral vision bringing us back to the days of fur traders and Native Americans back in the 1800’s. Not sure how he was able to pull it off in the extreme conditions when they were filming on location. Hopefully, another win for diversity.

Regardless, if Tom McCarthy doesn’t get Best Director for “Spotlight”, he will definitely receive the Best Original Screenplay Oscar, along with his co-writer, Josh Singer, for their seamless screenplay. Too bad there’s no award for “Best Ensemble Acting”, as it would win hands down against the other seven Best Picture nominees. Same applies to Andy McKay and Charles Randolph, for their adapted screenplay for “The Big Short”, which should give them a consolation prize for them as well.

Look for Mad Max to win Art Direction, Costume, Makeup, and Sound Mixing. Possibly Visual Effects, if Star Wars-The Force Awakens doesn’t win it.

Hungary’s “Son of Saul” should take Best Foreign Film. A first for it’s country. “Amy” should take Best Documentary. Pixar’s “Inside Out” will take Best Animated Film.

The Documentary shorts and Live Action categories are tossups, though I have a personal affinity to Kosovo’s short live action film, “Shok” and Don Hertzfeldt’s Animated Short, “The World of Tomorrow”. If I did a prediction for these categories, I would predict that I would predict wrong.

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CES2016 – VR, DRONES AND “AUTO”MOBILES

Posted on January 5, 2016 by mlsentertainment

DJI drone admirers at CES 2015. Photo by Marcus Siu

Article and photos by Marcus Siu

LAS VEGAS, JANUARY 5, 2016: The CES show, formerly known as the “Consumer Electronics Show” seems to be running out of space each year. In the days when CES was all exclusively consumer electronics, the expansive space has been taken away by booths displaying the technology of the companies, such as in cars, drones and wearable interactive video games that have you running around in all different directions. These companies need much more space to demo their wares than ever before. It’s no longer just about consumer electronics.

TRW’s autonomous car booth at CES 2015. Photo by Marcus Siu

Autonomous cars, which like it or not, will be here very soon. The top forefront runners of the electric car revolution include Tesla, Google, and Mobileye, who have been developing them early on its inception, but many of the traditional car makers, such as Mercedes, Toyota, Ford, and Kia are quickly adopting this technology, as well, in order to compete. Toyota has announced at CES 2016 that they are unveiling a new mapping system using GPS and cameras to be used in their self-driving cars. Ford has just announced a breakthrough involving sensors accelerating road testing.

Tesla’s cars, such as the Model X, at CES 2015, currently has live updates toward “auto pilot”for hands free driving. Photo by Marcus Siu

A demo at Virtuix Omni at CES 2015. Photo by Marcus Siu

This will be the year where VR and Augmented Reality will make it’s major breakthrough with the public. VR booths will increase to 40 at CES 2016. It is not only used for gaming, like the Oculus Rift, Sony Morpheus, or HTC Vive, that uses the technology, but applications such as business development and training used by Casio and ODG Technology smart glasses that uses augmented reality, that are almost like wearable computers, but without the weight, of course.

Occulus line at CES 2015. Photo by Marcus Siu

Even with the F.A.A regulations, as well as the hassle of registration, drones will be even bigger business in 2016. Drone companies will be competing for air space at CES 2016. The number of booths at CES will increase to 27 this year, with the number one manufacturer in the world, China’s DJI at the forefront of the industry.

Qualcomm demonstrates its Snapdragon technology at CES 2015. Photo by Marcus Siu

Qualcomm also plans to demo its drone with its latest Snapdragon technology which supports autonomous flight controls, using motion planning sensors to avoid obstacles, motion planning, and integrated 4K video recording camera.

Technology is changing at a rapid pace and so is CES 2016.

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MLS ENTERTAINMENT’S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2015

Posted on January 5, 2016 by mlsentertainment

It has been an amazing year in film. Here are MLS Entertainment’s top 10 film features of the year in alphabetical order.

Shu Qi in a scene from The Assassin. Courtesy of Well Go USA.

THE ASSASSIN – Mainstream movie goers were disappointed expecting “The Assassin” to be another Asian action film, such as “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”. However, upon immediate viewing comes the breathtaking cinematography, gorgeous costumes, and set designs directed from one of the masters of world cinema, Hou Hsiao-Hsien. His latest opus is his first wuxia film combining music, dance, literature and martial arts. It is deliberately meditative, but a rich and complex film that should be seen more than once to really appreciate. Winner for Best Director at Cannes.

Tom Hanks stars as James Donovan in the incredible story of an ordinary man placed in extraordinary circumstances in DreamWorks Pictures/Fox 2000 PIctures’ dramatic thriller BRIDGE OF SPIES, directed by Steven Spielberg. from Disney Media Files site

BRIDGE OF SPIES: Steven Spielberg executes a near perfect film with his main leading man, Tom Hanks, who has never been better, playing an American lawyer during the Cold War, whose moral obligations, despite the obvious danger he puts himself into, unknowingly to his family, forces him to defend a man accused of being a Soviet spy, superbly played by Mark Rylance.

Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn (2015). Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.

BROOKLYN: This year’s romantic tearjerker. It starts off with a familiar theme of a mother who sacrifices her most beloved daughter to immigrate to America in order to make a better life, but both having to deal with the consequences later after still trying to make up her mind where her “home” actually is. Beautifully acted by Saoirse Ronan with a wonderfully crafted original screenplay by Nick Hornby.

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in “Carol”. Courtesy of the Weinstein Company.

CAROL: Todd Haynes directs Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, the two female lovers, with amazing grace, sensitivity, and depth. Along with its screenplay, written by Phyllis Nagy, the film feels true and organic with not a false note in it. Cate Blanchett, who had a banner year with this film and “Truth” and Rooney Mara takes the script and makes it come to life for a 50’s time period piece. At Oscar time, look for Blanchett and Mara to get nominations.

Alicia Vikander in Ex Machina. Courtesy of Universal.

EX MACHINA – A suspenseful minimalist Sci-Fi mystery thriller about a computer programmer who participates in an A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) experiment. First time director Alex Garland creates an eerie atmosphere with nuanced performances from the three main leads; Alicia Vikander, Domnhall Gleeson, and Oscar Isaac, all whom are actors to watch in the next decade.

Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke and RJ Cyler in Me, Earl and the Dying Girl. Courtesy of Fox Searchlight.

ME, EARL AND THE DYING GIRL: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, directs the most compassionate and honest movie about what it’s like to be in high school. For many, that might not might be the reason to want to see this movie, but with its richly well-defined script, along with the chemistry of the lead actors in this film, is well worth it. It’s also endearing that the two male characters are filmmakers who make parodies of classic films, such as “It’s a Punderful Life” or “Gross Encounters of the Turd Kind”. Also it helped to have one of my favorite artists, Brian Eno, as the main part of the soundtrack. Winner of both the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award.

Géza Röhrig as Saul Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics.

SON OF SAUL: Sure, there has been thousands of films made about the Holocaust over the last 50 years, so who needs yet another one? This one is quite different. Directed by László Nemes, is shot with only the perspective of a Jewish worker at the Auschwitz concentration camp as he tries to find a rabbi to give a child a proper burial. The film doesn’t focus on the obvious horrors around the camp that are repeated throughout countless Holocaust films, but follows only the character as he carries his job responsibilities and personal motives. Winner of the Cannes Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize.

Michael Keaton, Brian d’Arcy James, Mark Ruffalo, John Slattery and Rachel McAdams in “Spotlight”. Photo by Kerry Hayes.

SPOTLIGHT: The subject matter about journalists from the Boston Globe uncovering the child molestation scandal and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese doesn’t quite sound like a great dinner conversation topic, but it certainly makes a compelling movie. Tom McCarthy who also co-wrote the script, directs an amazing ensemble of actors seamlessly, including Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, and Rachel McAdams. If the Oscars could make a new category called “Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture”, this film would win hands down.

John Boyega and Daisy Ridley in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Courtesy of Lucasfilm.

STAR WARS – THE FORCE AWAKENS: It’s refreshing to have the Star Wars franchise start with anew with director J.J. Abrams at the helm. The film has quite a different look to it. It will be interesting to see what happens in December of next year, to see if the sequels will hold up, but this film rocks! My favorite popcorn movie…even though I don’t eat popcorn.

Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel star in “Youth”. Photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures.

YOUTH: Paolo Sorrentino’s follow up to “The Great Beauty”, which won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film two years ago, follows his familiar themes of life and reflection, along with hints of Fellini, that made his films so well liked that it swept the European Film Festival Awards this year, along with an award for Sir Michael Caine for Best Actor. Sumptuously shot by Luca Bigazzi.

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CES 2016: A STAR-STUDDED SHOW AT CES 2016 IN LAS VEGAS

Posted on December 31, 2015 by mlsentertainment

Nick Cannon, shown at last years Monster press conference, returns to CES at the Aria Hotel on Wednesday, January 6 from 4-4:30 PM to reveal how digital media has influenced his brand and enabled career-changing opportunities. Photo by Marcus Siu.

Celebrity guests promote latest innovations and trends at global stage for innovation

Arlington, VA – 12/30/2015 – CES® 2016 will feature Hollywood stars, professional athletes, TV personalities and celebrity chefs discussing and promoting technology that is revolutionizing the way consumers live, work and play. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™ – formerly the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)® – CES 2016 is the world’s gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, and will run January 6-9, 2016, in Las Vegas, NV.

YouTube vloggers turned entrepreneurial powerhouses, Justine Ezarik, aka iJustine, and Joey Graceffa, will serve as Ambassadors for the Entertainment Matters Program at CES. Presented by Variety, Entertainment Matters is the CES program designed to help the Hollywood community navigate the most influential technology show in the world.

TV/ radio host, producer and entrepreneur Ryan Seacrest will participate in a headliner conversation with Bob Pittman, chairman and CEO, iHeartMedia during the Entertainment Summit, presented by Variety, on Thursday, January 7, from 2:15-2:45 PM in the LVCC, North Hall, Room N258.

The C Space Storyteller conference track features actor, entrepreneur and radio/ TV personality Nick Cannon and celebrity Chef Morimoto. Morimoto will share his story on Tuesday, January 5, from 2:45-3:15 PM, while Cannon returns to CES on Wednesday, January 6 from 4-4:30 PM to reveal how digital media has influenced his brand and enabled career-changing opportunities. Both events will take place in ARIA, Level 1, Pinyon 5.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, and studio analyst for Turner Sports Shaquille O’Neal, will participate in the Tech Investing in Sports conference as part of the Sports Business Forum, presented by Turner Sports. The session will be moderated by CNN news anchor Brooke Baldwin on Thursday, January 7, from 11:30 AM-12:10 PM in Venetian, Level 2, Hall D. O’Neal will also participate in the NBA on TNT Live Broadcast with host Ernie Johnson, and fellow analysts Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith. The broadcast will take place on Thursday, January 7, from 4-5 PM in Venetian, Level 2, Hall D and is open to all CES attendees.

The Sports Business Forum also will host The Commissioner’s Panel on Sports and Technology. Robert Manfred, commissioner of the MLB, andAdam Silver, commissioner of the NBA, will participate in a discussion moderated by Turner Sports studio host Ernie Johnson on Thursday, January 7, from 9-9:40 AM in Venetian, Level 2, Hall D.

Under Armour will host a plethora of athletes and Olympians at their booth (Sands, Hall C, #74316) including: Tony Romo, Michael Phelps, Buster Posey, Cal Ripken Jr., Georges St-Pierre, Deion Sanders, Nastia Liukin, Jake Dalton and Brandon Wynn.

The founder of The Chopra Foundation, Dr. Deepak Chopra, M.D., will participate in Harnessing the Power: Precision Medicine and Genomics, part of the Digital Health Summit, presented by Living in Digital Times. The session runs Thursday, January 7, from 1:45-2:45 in Venetian, Level 4, Lando 4303.

ABC’s Shark Tank and CEO, FUBU and Shark Branding Daymond John is among the panelists in the Making Disney Magic: Connecting Digital and Physical Worlds SuperSession, presented by the Consumer Technology Association, on Thursday, January 7, from 1-2 PM in LVCC, North Hall, Room N257.

Actress and singer Christina Milian will be at Monster’s booth (LVCC, Central Hall, #9405) on Friday, January 8, from 12-3 PM to discuss her relationship with Monster and her latest endeavors.

Retired NBA players Larry Johnson and Larry Nance, and retired Vincentian-American NBA player Adonal Foyle will all make appearances atZTE’s booth (LVCC, South Hall 3, #31706) between Wednesday, January 6 and Friday, January 8. The NBA National Championship trophy will also be on display at ZTE’s booth all day Thursday, January 7.

Celebrity magician Penn Jillette is partnering with Withings to discuss his recent weight loss – not with any of his famed magic tricks but with a strict diet, exercise and use of several smart, connected devices from Withings. Jillette will reveal his secrets at Withings’ booth (Sands, Hall C, #74300) on Thursday, January 7, at 11 AM.

Hell’s Kitchen Season 10 finalist Chef Dana Cohen will present a cooking demonstration at Haier America’s booth (LVCC, Central Hall, #12814) every hour from 10 AM-4 PM Wednesday, January 6-Friday, January 8.

NFL legend and FitStar personal trainer Tony Gonzalez will be at FitBit’s booth (Sands, Halls C, #74108) for photo opportunities on Wednesday, January 6 from 1:30-2:30 PM.

Actress, best-selling author and activist Jenny McCarthy will conduct a live broadcast of her Sirius XM show followed by an autograph session at FCA’s Uconnect booth (LVCC, North Hall, #3534) on Thursday, January 7, from 1-3:30 PM.

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MLS MOVIE SPOTLIGHT – HEART OF A DOG

Posted on November 13, 2015 by mlsentertainment

Heart of a Dog Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films

Article by Marcus Siu

She is an amazing artist like no other of her generation; she has no peers who can come close for comparison at her performance level. She initially started out in sculpture, then gradually as an abstract painter, and then as a musician performing to “open jowled” audiences around the world…

I’m referring to the extraordinary renowned artist, Lolabelle, a beloved rat terrier dog, who ironically also happens to be owned and “conceived” by the internationally renowned multimedia performance artist in her own right; Laurie Anderson.

As Lolabelle was losing her sight during her later years, she would discover, with the guidance of Anderson, a new way to be creative. She took on art and piano lessons and became a quick learner with an ear probably keener than “Nipper”, the RCA dog. It probably also didn’t hurt that she grew up in an iconic and creative musical household.

Heart of a Dog – Lolabelle in Concert Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films

“Heart of a Dog” was first conceived by Arte, a French/German TV network, who asked Anderson to compose a personal essay about the meaning of life and work, and specifically about her dog. Anderson thought it was going to be a short project, but soon found herself immersed with much more material to build on, especially when she was left alone with no pressure from Arte. It became an instant hobby for her.

The finished product would become her philosophy of life, comprising a collection of short stories on film.

Topics and observations include questioning the need for post 9/11 surveillance cameras all over New York City; the government obsession of storing personal information in the cloud; her mother giving a barely audible deathbed speech to her eight children as she died; memories of her childhood saving her twin brothers by diving into the hole through a frozen lake, and her own”life confirming” incident from a diving board accident that almost ended her life when she was 12 years old.

Though life and death are the major subject of the film; so is love and loss. In addition to losing her dog, Lolabelle, who she loved forever when she met face to face in the hospital room in her recurring dreams, she had recently lost two other major forces in her life: her mother and the person she loved more than anyone in the world, her husband and soul mate, Lou Reed.

One of Anderson’s Buddhist teachers, Mingyur Rinpoche quotes “You should try to practice how to feel sad without actually being sad”. This represents the center section of the film, depicting the bardo or the Tibetan afterlife.

Anderson, one of our greatest storytellers, known for being technologically innovative at her multimedia performances, and even calls herself a “tech geek”, ironically used low tech devices in the film, such as iPhones, drone cameras and GoPro’s.

In addition, her brother handed her undeveloped reels of 8mm films of their childhood, which captivated Anderson, as she was reminded of her almost forgotten childhood with her seven other siblings along with her mother, when she almost lost her twin brothers in the middle of a frozen lake in the Midwest. When watching these timeless images of these recently developed films, it almost looked like post production was used, but it was actually just the way the chemicals disintegrated the film naturally over time.

The film captures a hallucinatory and hypnotic mood, along with the sound of Anderson’s signature violin effects that are familiar to it from her live multimedia performances. She showcases her personal and intimate storytelling ability that demonstrates her magical ability to reach and connect to an audience like no other.

“Heart of a Dog” was dedicated to Lou Reed.

Opens November 13th

HOAD_Stills_02_Sophi+Calle (2)

Laurie and Lolabelle Anderson

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UP IN THE CLOUD WITH LARRY ELLISON AT ORACLE OPENWORLD 2015

Posted on November 2, 2015 by mlsentertainment

“We are in the middle of a generational shift in computing that is no less important than our shift to personal computing, when mainframes and mini computers dominated our industries…it seems like early days, since our biggest cloud business are only $6 billion…not $100 billion… – Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison’s Opening Keynote Address at the Oracle OpenWorld 2015 Photo by Marcus Siu

Article and Photo by Marcus Siu

SAN FRANCISCO, October 25, 2015 – Executive Chairman and CTO, Larry Ellison’s Opening Keynote address at Oracle’s OpenWorld 2015 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco last Sunday, reminded us that the “Cloud” has now been around for over 15 years, even before there was a term known as the “Cloud”. Companies such as NetSuite and Salesforce were already engaged in doing business as a Software as a Service (SaaS) at its infancy around the beginning of 2000.

It’s been ten years since Oracle realized that in order to compete with these companies and an untapped industry, they had to rewrite virtually all of their applications in order to make them run on the cloud. For Oracle’s fusion project, not only did they have to rewrite the applications, but they also had to rewrite the middleware, which took a tremendous amount of resources, including the complexities of dealing with the Oracle multitenant database.

Around the same time, Amazon pioneered their “EC2”, (Elastic Compute Cloud); also known today as AWS (Amazon Web Services), which provides resizable compute capacity in the cloud services. Oracle immediately realized that if they were going to compete in the PaaS business (platform as a service), then they had to be in the IaaS business, (infrastructure as a service). Customers should also have the option to use any applications they need, regardless if they are Oracle products.

Oracle OpenWorld at Moscone West Photo: Marcus Siu

“Here’s the irony of it all; we went to the SaaS business and came to understand that required us to be in the platform business, and we went into the platform business and came to understand we had to be in the infrastructure as a service business.

That’s how we got to where we are today”.

Ten years ago, Oracle used to see pay particular attention to IBM, which Ellison describes as “the greatest company of all companies”, and SAP, the largest application company in the world, for the last two decades.

Today, Oracle no longer pays attention to neither one of them.

Oracle’s Cloud competitors include Amazon, Salesforce, Workday, and its traditional rival competitor, Microsoft.

However, Microsoft and Oracle are the only two companies that offer all three layers of the cloud that provide users with access to an integrated set of IT solutions, including the Applications (SaaS), Platform (Paas), and Infrastructure (Iaas) layers.

Oracle has the largest set of enterprise applications of any company.

Oracle and Microsoft are the only two companies who provide all three layers of the cloud. Photo by Marcus Siu

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IDF 2015 – LIVE TO PLAY AT THE INTEL DEVELOPER’S CONFERENCE

Posted on August 31, 2015 by mlsentertainment

This gallery contains 25 photos.

Article and Photo slideshow by Marcus Siu SAN FRANCISCO, August 20, 2015 – The 2015 Intel Developer Forum (IDF), held at Moscone West in San Francisco from Tuesday, August 18th through Thursday, August 20th, brought together a record number of developers, … Continue reading →

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INTERSOLAR NORTH AMERICA 2015 KICKS OFF IN SAN FRANCISCO

Posted on July 18, 2015 by mlsentertainment

Markus Elsaesser, CEO of Solar Promotion International GmbH, organizer of Intersolar North America, joins Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel onstage at the Opening Ceremony.

Photos by Marcus Siu

SAN FRANCISCO, July 14, 2015 – As the North American solar energy market looks toward another record-breaking year, a standing-room only audience packed the Grand Ballroom at San Francisco’s InterContinental Hotel to hear fresh insights on the challenges and opportunities impacting the industry during the keynote session of Intersolar North America, the solar industry’s most-attended exhibition and conference dedicated to the North American market.

“As the first major industry show in the United States each year, Intersolar North America is where attendees flock to learn about the trends shaping the marketplace,” said Markus Elsaesser, CEO of Solar Promotion International GmbH, organizer of Intersolar North America.

“With the increase in the United States’ installed solar capacity, the growth of energy storage and stellar job creation statistics, it’s an exciting time to be in solar,” added Daniel Strowitzki, CEO of FMMI International, another organizer of Intersolar North America. “We’re encouraged by the possibilities presented by our distinguished lineup of solar industry advocates and technology pioneers, and can’t wait to see what’s in store at this year’s event.”

The U.S. solar market is expected to grow by 30 percent in 2015, reaching a total of 8.5 gigawatts (GW) in installed capacity. Nationally, the solar industry employed more than 173,800 in 2014, which represents a 21.8 percent growth in industry employment over the previous year and outpaces the national average. Solar industry advocates, N.Y. State Sen. Kevin Parker and Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA), joined Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel onstage to discuss the critical turning points the industry will face in the next year—specifically the growing role of energy storage paired with solar systems, as well as policy initiatives.

Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel.

“The energy industry’s next decade will look different because of the demand for storage technology, and we are working to drive down the price of storage and improve the performance of batteries,” Straubel said. “Storage is a key part of moving us closer to a grid that is 100 percent renewable, and bringing more solar online. We’ve demonstrated that by increasing a battery’s energy capacity, you can fundamentally reduce costs. That moves us closer to realizing our goal of transforming how energy is generated.”

Bernadette Del Chiaro, executive director of the California Solar Energy Industries Association (CALSEIA)

With the expiration of the federal investment tax credit (ITC) top of mind in solar, CALSEIA Executive Director Bernadette Del Chiaro discussed additional upcoming policy challenges, particularly related to net energy metering and renewable portfolio standards, and outlined what it will take to win these critical campaigns.

“Like any growing industry, the next few years are going to be tumultuous in solar, but we can come out stronger by working together and increasing the number and diversity of voices calling for more solar power,” Del Chiaro said.

California leads the United States in terms of solar industry policy and installed capacity, and several East Coast states, such as New York, New Jersey and Massachusetts, have become some of the fastest-growing PV markets in the United States.

New York State Senator Kevin S. Parker returns to this year’s Intersolar’s North America Opening Ceremony.

“The game has changed in 2015—New York’s speed of solar growth has increased 300 percent in the past year, thanks to strong, effective policies and the support of dedicated solar professionals,” said New York State Sen. Kevin S. Parker, a ranking member of the Senate Energy and Telecommunications Committee. “Intersolar North America’s focus on energy storage, financing and installer best practices provides the knowledge necessary to develop the market further. New York is proof that solar makes sense in many markets, and I’m excited to see how the partnerships developed here will further the adoption of renewable energy in the U.S. and beyond.”

The opening ceremony kicked off Intersolar North America, which returned to San Francisco—the heart of the U.S. solar industry and the country’s largest market—for the eighth year in a row. Throughout the course of its three-day exhibition, Intersolar North America expects more than 18,000 attendees to visit approximately 500 exhibitors touting the latest in solar technologies and services. Solar professionals, policymakers and industry advocates travel from across the world to see new innovations in photovoltaics, energy production, balance of system components and solar heating and cooling technologies, and hear about the trends shaping the marketplace.

New to this year’s exhibition is the electrical energy storage™ (ees) North America special exhibition, an extension of the world’s largest industry platform for storage devices used in combination with PV, where nearly 50 companies will exhibit. In partnership with NAATBatt International, Intersolar North America expanded its focus on energy storage to educate the solar industry on this rapidly growing sector. According to a white paper published by GTM Research, and commissioned by Intersolar and CALSEIA, the U.S. solar-plus-storage market will grow to $246 million in 2015, $643 million in 2016 and by 2020 will be a $3.1 billion industry.

“Intersolar and ees North America are the best places for experienced solar PV developers and installers to learn about emerging opportunities in solar-storage technology and the economic and safety challenges that must be overcome in order to see its widespread use in behind-the-meter projects and on the grid,” said NAATBatt President James Greenberger. Additionally, the ees stage will host presentations from exhibitors, along with special events that cover large-scale grid integration of renewable energies, residential-scale PV and storage systems and an overview of electricity storage technologies. The stage will also feature a presentation from GTM Research on Tuesday, July 14 at 4:30 p.m. on its white paper, “Solar-Plus-Storage Market: Market Drivers, Economics, Outlook.” The paper will be available for free download.

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