Towletech v.129: Stephen Hawking Joins Facebook, Space Dive, Virtual Reality Horror, Gamergate

Towletech v.129: Stephen Hawking Joins Facebook, Space Dive, Virtual Reality Horror, Gamergate

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BY KYLER GEOFFROY

A weekly round-up of the best tech, science, and geek-related news from around the web

Road Stephen Hawking joins Facebook, accepts the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

Road Google has introduced a new email service called Inbox that hopes to ease the clutter and confusion from your regular Gmail account. Facebook also rolled out a new app called “Rooms” which allows users to create mobile forums about any topic you want. 

Road Google’s senior vice president Alan Eustace beat Felix Baumgartner’s free fall record on Friday, plummeting from the edge of space nearly 26 miles in the air in a custom space suit. Check out a cool video on the jump below:

 

Road CVS is the latest company to join the growing list of retailers who will not be accepting the Apple Pay mobile payment system over competing investments in a separate mobile wallet company. 

Batman and robinRoad Director Joel Schumacher is reportedly working on a 12-issue comic that will complete the Batman trilogy he began with the camp-tastic Batman Forever and Batman & Robin

Road At a MIT talk on Friday, Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk reiterated his warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence, calling it our “biggest existential threat.” Said Musk: “I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence. If I were to guess like what our biggest existential threat is, it’s probably that. So we need to be very careful with the artificial intelligence. Increasingly scientists think there should be some regulatory oversight maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we don’t do something very foolish. With artificial intelligence we are summoning the demon. In all those stories where there’s the guy with the pentagram and the holy water, it’s like yeah he’s sure he can control the demon. Didn’t work out.” 

Road Banshee Chapter, a 2013 horror film produced by Zachary Quinto, has now been adapted for Oculus Rift – opening the door to a world of frightening possibilities in the future of immersive, virtual reality experiences. Check out a video of the cast and crew talk about the new edition below:

 

Road China has launched the first privately funded mission to the moon. 

DexmoRoad Tech company Dexta Robotics has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its new Dexmo glove that uses force feedback to enable users to touch objects in virtual reality. 

Road Take a tour of the Minecraft city that took two years to build

Road DC is looking for a female director to helm its upcoming Wonder Woman film. 

Road Former NFL-er, LGBT ally, and creative wordsmith Chris Kluwe takes the “slackjawed pickletits” who support #Gamergate to task for their role defending misogyny and the harassment of women in the video game industry. 

Road Apple will reportedly be relaunching it’s newly acquired Beats Music streaming platform as part of iTunes sometime next year.

Road The surprising science behind Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar


Kyler Geoffroy

www.towleroad.com/2014/10/towletech-3.html

The Disgustings, Jordan Firstman's Comedic Short Film About 'Those' Gays – WATCH

The Disgustings, Jordan Firstman's Comedic Short Film About 'Those' Gays – WATCH

Disgustings

Two years ago Jordan Firstman moved to Los Angeles and promptly discovered that in addition to being home to over 300 museums, the Walk of Fame, and some of the most gorgeous weather in the country–L.A. was flush with an “abundance of assholes.” Inspired, Firstman took to Kickstarter with the simple idea of bringing two of these people, played by himself and Chloe’s Drew Droege to the independent film circuit.

 

After successfully hitting the film’s modest crowdfunding goal and a year of production, The Disgustings dropped last week. Suffice it to say that the short is every bit a love/late letter to each and every single one of “those” gay guys we’ve all pretended to have never been before.

Watch The Disgustings AFTER THE JUMP

Disgustings2

 


Charles Pulliam-Moore

www.towleroad.com/2014/10/the-disgustings-jordan-firstmans-comedic-short-film-about-those-gays-watch.html

Are These Two The Most Disgusting Gays Imaginable?

Are These Two The Most Disgusting Gays Imaginable?

There are awful, horrible, disgustingly narcissistic gay people everywhere, but some of the worst are definitely found in Los Angeles. For example, take the two monstrosities portrayed with knowing realness by comic actors Drew Droege and Jordan Firstman in the appropriately titled film The Disgustings.

Firstman, who wrote and directed the comedy short, told Queerty that he found inspiration by merely stepping outside of his L.A. apartment.

“The disgustings are all around and they do not hide,” he said. “In some ways, we are all the disgustings. I wanted to make a film about flawed and insecure people that are really hurting. I think we often see ‘bitchy’ characters, but we rarely get to see their pain.”

Firstman’s 12-minute short has played numerous film fests around the country and he revealed that it was his intention to make audiences both cringe and relate at the same time.

“We have all complained about service at a restaurant or made fun of the seemingly happy yoga girl and while sometimes that’s okay, I think it’s important to try to figure out where that negativity comes from,” he added. “This film was an apology on behalf of the worst parts of my personality. So yeah, I wanted to do all of that and still make it funny.”

Prepare to get thoroughly disgusted below.

The Disgustings from jordan firstman on Vimeo.

Jeremy Kinser

feedproxy.google.com/~r/queerty2/~3/I1lcboctokk/are-these-two-the-most-disgusting-gays-imaginable-20141026