%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ffeatures.wearemel.com%252Frobot-police-safer-than-real-police-35fb3ba9cce2%253Fgi%253D86dc64f76085%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Robot Police: Safer Than Real Police?  
How a telepresence robot built by Florida undergrads could save lives.  
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNEJeRiNHjZC1W4B6nZZ6NYki0OeHQ%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779159705301%2526ei%253DWvKJV9iON-rUzAamh7aABQ%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.dallasnews.com%252Fnews%252Fcrime%252Fheadlines%252F20160715-el-centro-college-moves-on-after-dallas-police-shooting-we-will-not-be-defined-by-this-at-all.ece%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: El Centro College moves on after Dallas police shooting: 'We will not be defined by this at all' - Dallas Morning News  

Dallas Morning News

El Centro College moves on after Dallas police shooting: 'We will not be defined by this at all' Dallas Morning News In the end, Johnson was holed up in an El Centro hallway when police used a remote-controlled robot armed with explosives to kill him and end the standoff. Adames was able to tour ... “People could envision the future of that space rather than the past ... and more »

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNEP9IX0XcAU_e0AGrcJTdObrzkFCw%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779159072893%2526ei%253DWvKJV9iON-rUzAamh7aABQ%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Fbrowbeat%252F2016%252F07%252F14%252Fthe_2016_emmy_award_nominations_illustrate_the_emmys_impressive_knack_for.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: The Emmys Have a Knack for Being Both Stodgy and Trailblazing at Once - Slate Magazine (blog)  

Slate Magazine (blog)

The Emmys Have a Knack for Being Both Stodgy and Trailblazing at Once Slate Magazine (blog) Joining The Americans as a first time Best Drama contender is the incisive Mr. Robot, whose star Rami Malek adds some fizz to the Best Actor in a Drama category. Thomas Middleditch, who is great as the nervous twitchball at the center of Silicon Valley ... and more »

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFGfv0-mP9rgLAc3RheEf47Rkq2kQ%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526ei%253DWvKJV9iON-rUzAamh7aABQ%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.freeweekly.com%252F2016%252F07%252F14%252Fno-conflict-has-ever-been-solved-with-violence%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: “No Conflict Has Ever Been Solved with Violence” - The Free Weekly  

The Free Weekly

“No Conflict Has Ever Been Solved with Violence” The Free Weekly Instead of trying to capture him alive, perhaps allowing us to learn more about whether his experience abroad affected his mental stability, a “drone” (robot-delivered) bomb was used to blow him up, a tactic associated with the military, never before ...

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.metafilter.com%252F160993%252Fwith-vintage-fonts-and-mottled-with-faux-film-grain%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: "...with vintage fonts and mottled with faux film grain."  
Netflix's sci-fi throwback Stranger Things is Yesterday's Summer Blockbuster Today [A.V. Club] Stranger Things is stylish, beguiling, and eminently bingeable, but it isn't skeptic-proof. The Duffer brothers, who previously worked on Fox's surprisingly compelling Wayward Pines, should know by now that open-ended supernatural mysteries are going to dissuade some viewers, particularly those who have felt duped by such stories in the recent past. But anyone willing to push through their resistance will find a borderline hypnotic show that could be to this summer what USA's Mr. Robot was to last summer: a hyper-stylized niche series that feels essential even at its wobbliest.

- Stranger Things - Trailer 1 - Netflix [YouTube]
- Stranger Things - The Vanishing of Will Byers - Watch First 8 Minutes - Netflix [YouTube]

- Stranger Things Is a Scary, Poignant Piece of 1980s Nostalgia [Vanity Fair]

There's also an entirely engaging story happening here: a group of four friends, all nerdy boys of the Dungeons & Dragons varietal, is hurled into a supernatural mystery when one of them, kind and thoughtful Will (Noah Schnapp), goes missing. This frightening event coincides with some sort of incident at a nearby military-research facility, a looming, ominous presence that the sleepy town of Hawkins, Indiana, doesn't seem all that aware of. Will's mother, played with convincing fire by none other than Winona Ryder, begins a mad hunt for her son, while his friends, led by Finn Wolfhard's (what a name!) Mike, embark on their own quest. Mike's sister, Nancy (Natalia Dyer), also gets involved, teen romance swirling around winningly with teen terror, as does the local sheriff, a shambly guy with a tragic backstory played with perfect underdog heroism by the great David Harbour.

- Stranger Things: The Excellent Netflix Show That's Going to Take Over Your Weekend [GQ]

Stranger Things is a show so '80s, it's almost tempting to make fun of it. Created with nostalgic affection by Matt and Ross Duffer, it looks like Spielberg, sounds like John Carpenter, and smells a bit like Stephen King. It feels like a scary story told over a campfire, about a thing that happened to a friend of a friend a long time ago, about what really goes on in that mysterious building at the edge of town no one knows anything about, and what might happen there late at night. Altogether, it's pretty wonderful.

- Winona Ryder's Guide To New Netflix Show 'Stranger Things' [NME]

1. I play Joyce Buyers.
2. I'm not a parent.
3. I was trying to look as unglamorous as possible.
4. Stranger Things is set in a small town.

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNFo5KcaxsR7z536TrtOzUoyt-KOQg%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526ei%253DWYGJV6D4DISw1gaWiY6gAg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fcustomerthink.com%252Fman-vs-robot-the-battle-of-customer-service-turning-digital%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Man vs. Robot: The Battle of Customer Service Turning Digital - Customer Think  

Man vs. Robot: The Battle of Customer Service Turning Digital Customer Think When automation and online experiences first became popular, businesses were struggling to create strong relationships with their customers. It's difficult to engage on a personal level with empathy, relevance, and kindness when your entire operation ...

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNHe_kkVwuA_DfppoObEdax1FzbPEw%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779155871488%2526ei%253DWYGJV6ioCsSb1Ab5paCIBg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fventurebeat.com%252F2016%252F07%252F11%252Fanki-introduces-tool-that-allows-developers-to-hack-its-cozmo-a-i-robot%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Anki introduces tool that allows developers to hack its Cozmo A.I. robot - VentureBeat  

VentureBeat

Anki introduces tool that allows developers to hack its Cozmo A.I. robot VentureBeat Cozmo is a playful, intelligent robot with an essence of artificial intelligence. As VentureBeat's Dean Takahashi described it, it's “something like Eve the robot in Pixar's Wall-E animated film.” Anki cofounder and president Hanns Tappeiner explained ... Hanging out with Anki's Cozmo, the toy robot putting AI at our fingertipsThe Verge Meet Cozmo, the AI robot with emotions video - CNETCNET AI-Powered Cozmo Robot Gets Easy-To-Use Development KitTop Tech News all 37 news articles »

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Frssfeeds.usatoday.com%252F%7E%252F165797374%252F0%252Fusatoday-techtopstories%7EThis-robot-vacuum-cleans-well-for-a-lot-less%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: This $199 robot vacuum cleans well for a lot less  

The Anker RoboVac 10 cleans just as well as a $750 bot.

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.engadget.com%252F2016%252F07%252F15%252Ficymi-nao-nurses-herding-drones-and-a-lotion-pooping-seagull%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: ICYMI: NAO nurses, herding drones and a lotion-pooping seagull  
Today on In Case You Missed It: Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center tests a robotic helper for its nursing staff. Researchers from the Australian Centre for Field Robotics at the University of Sydney have developed an autonomous rover...  
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Fbrowbeat%252F2016%252F07%252F15%252Fwhat_it_means_that_a_key_scene_in_mr_robot_s_season_2_premiere_is_scored.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Why a Key Scene in Mr. Robot Is Scored With Music From the 1974 Thriller The Parallax View  

In “Unmask,” the second-season premiere of Mr. Robot, Elliot (Rami Malek) is keeping a tenuous grip on sanity, but he's menaced by intrusive thoughts. His nonexistent alter ego (Christian Slater) keeps turning up uninvited, visiting violence upon Elliot or those who threaten him, so much that it becomes routine. After Mr. Robot blows Elliot's brains out with a handgun, Elliot nonchalantly scribbles in his journal, “He shot me in the head again.”

Mr. Robot, as a show, has porous boundaries, whether it's soaking in current events or regurgitating half-digested chunks of Fight Club. But in “Unmask,” the show latched onto a particularly inspired reference point. As the literally shadowy figures who control the nation's banks addressed Philip Price (Michael Crisfoter), the CEO of the malevolent E Corp, to explain why the country couldn't bail out his beleaguered conglomerate, the only background noise was the faint hum of inside-the-Beltway air conditioning. But as Price rose to his feet, turning the tables on his would-be masters, a musical theme rose to buoy his words: Michael Small's score from the 1974 thriller The Parallax View.

The Parallax View, which was directed by Alan J. Pakula, stars Warren Beatty as a reporter who unearths evidence of a massive conspiracy to assassinate political figures, the work of the sinister Parallax Corporation. It's part of a wave of similarly paranoid thrillers that swept through movie theaters in the 1970s in response to post-1968 disillusionment and the bonafide conspiracy of Watergate: Pakula's All the President's Men, Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation, Sydney Pollack's Three Days of the Condor, and many more. The influence of the genre in general and The Parallax View in particular on Mr. Robot has been noted many times, but this explicit homage—which Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz was one of few critics to point out in advance — takes us into a different realm, one where those past movies go from reference points to source material. It's as if they're trying to break through the surface of Mr. Robot, as if the show is being hacked as we're watching it.

In substance, Price's speech is hardly groundbreaking stuff, although it's presented with the pomp and circumstance of a major revelation, recalling New York Times' critic James Poniewozik's deadly observation that watching Mr. Robot can be “like being cornered at a party by a guy who was blown away by this Intercept article he read.” It's staged like a key monologue in 1976's Network, the one where TV network head Ned Beatty explains to would-be revolutionary Howard Beale that “the world is a business.” Price's explanation of how the stock market and the economy work—and why the government has to give his company yet another bailout—is similarly entry-level. “Every day when that market bell rings, we con people into believing in something,” he says. “The American Dream. Family values. Could be Freedom Fries for all I care. It doesn't matter as long as the con works and people buy and sell whatever it is we want them to. If I resign, then any scrap of confidence the public is already clinging on to will be destroyed. And we all know a con doesn't work without the confidence.”

The writing here is Mr. Robot at its worst, regurgitating Econ 101 lessons as if they're closely guarded secrets. (The idea that stocks rise and fall with investor confidence is pretty much a definition of how the market functions.) But Cristofer—who, incidentally, is also a Pulitzer- and Tony-winning playwright —gives it all he's got, biting down on the “con” in “confidence” like it's his last meal. There's a deliberate unnaturalness to his performance, which, coupled with the creeping dread of that borrowed score, throws the whole scene productively off-kilter, making us doubt our eyes as much as Elliot does his.

In the lead-up to the second season, USA has been at pains to stress Mr. Robot's topical relevance, producing an hour-long special stressing the show's realistic depiction of computer hacking techniques and describing the series, somewhat optimistically, as “a cultural phenomenon.” But like the 1970s movies it draws on, the show is far more powerful as a psychological study of madness and obsession than as a pseudo-profound tract with Something Important to Say About Society.

What makes The Parallax View powerful isn't it the notion that Lee Harvey Oswald and Sirhan Sirhan were both part of some ominous plot, but the way Beatty plays a man who sounds crazier the closer he gets to the truth, and the way Pakula and cinematographer Gordon Willis frame the world in ever-more extreme and alienating ways. It forces us to see things as he does, to take on that feeling of madness. That's what Mr. Robot does best, thanks especially to Rami Malek's captivatingly unnerving performance as Elliot. In Season 2, we're moving outside of Elliot's head, seeing the world as it is and not as he imagines it. (In the first episode, we hear E Corp referred to by its real name, and not “Evil Corp,” Elliot's preferred moniker.) But that's a dangerous place for it to go, since Mr. Robot's version of the real world is a lot less interesting than Elliot's delusion.

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.engadget.com%252F2016%252F07%252F15%252Fford-new-robots-build-cars-make-coffee%252F%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Ford's new robots can build cars, make coffee  
This new robotic technology could be a big help to assembly workers and offer more design freedom. Ford Motor Company announced today its early testing of a new type of assembly line robot that were co-developed with German robotics company KUKA Robo...  
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Farticles%252Fnews_and_politics%252Fthe_angle%252F2016%252F07%252Ftrump_s_pick_of_mike_pence_for_vp_the_2016_emmy_nominations_and_kate_mckinnon.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: The Angle: His Many Friends Edition  

Reports on Thursday that Donald Trump may be picking Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate led Mark Joseph Stern to reflect that Pence may be just the ticket: “Pence is a fatuous yes-man, a milquetoast mook with no strong convictions other than a desire to win and be popular,” Stern writes. “He will faithfully follow Trump's whims and commands.”

Meanwhile, Reihan Salam calls Pence a “drearily conventional figure,” and Jim Newell wonders whether Pence can even survive the mind-bending rigors of being Trump's running mate: “Pence has had his disagreements with Trump throughout the campaign, and if he is indeed VP he may struggle to keep up with Trump's relentless bullshit.”

Dahlia Lithwick looks at Ruth Bader Ginsburg's recent attacks on Trump and wonders whether longtime Ginsburg fans are right to cheer her candor. “She may be trying to speak on behalf of the judicial branch itself, a branch that has been almost completely silent in the face of six brutal months of attacks from the right,” Lithwick writes, trying to suss out RBG's reasoning. “In one sense, by speaking up for a judicial branch that has absorbed one body blow after another in recent months, she did nothing but level the playing field.”

Watching the Facebook Live video Diamond Reynolds made after the shooting of Philando Castile last week, John Kelly notes how Reynolds used politeness as “a powerful tool for dignity and subversion.” Reynolds, Kelly writes in a meditation on her repeated use of “sir,” “transforms a title of respect into a refusal to accept brutality, a performance of transcendent dignity, and a disruption of the status quo.”

Willa Paskin surveys this year's Emmy nominations and finds them full of “good taste and blind spots.” Hooray: Mr. Robot for best drama; Silicon Valley's Thomas Middleditch for Best Actor in a Comedy; many nods for The People v. O.J. Simpson. Boo: No Crazy Ex-Girlfriend? No Jane the Virgin?

For fun: When did you first fall in love with breakout Ghostbuster Kate McKinnon?

Tiny oomails,

Rebecca

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Fbrowbeat%252F2016%252F07%252F14%252Fthe_2016_emmy_award_nominations_illustrate_the_emmys_impressive_knack_for.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: The Emmys Have an Impressive Knack for Being Stodgy and Trailblazing at the Same Time  

The Emmys have become a good test for whether you are a glass half-full or a glass half-empty kind of person. With so much television available these days, there is, depending on your perspective, more great stuff than ever for the Emmys to choose from, or more great stuff than ever for the Emmys to ignore. This year's nominations, announced earlier today, abounded with good taste and blind spots. After years of being ignored, The Americans was finally nominated for Best Drama, and its canoodling lead actors, Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, the 'ship to end all 'ships, received best actor nods. And yet the Emmys did not bounce aging snoozes like Downton Abbey, Homeland, or House of Cards in order to make room for The Americans, but rather the much more vital, if still aging, Orange is the New Black, whose cast was also nearly shut out in the supporting categories. Not everything can be nominated and yet—why can't everything good be nominated?

When it comes to the Emmys I have been, for years, a glass half-full kind of person, and this year's nominations seem to me almost brimming. Joining The Americans as a first time Best Drama contender is the incisive Mr. Robot, whose star Rami Malek adds some fizz to the Best Actor in a Drama category. Thomas Middleditch, who is great as the nervous twitchball at the center of Silicon Valley, was nominated in a Best Actor in a Comedy category that couldn't be better, except for the inclusion of William H. Macy, the most annoying thing about Shameless. Black-ish's Tracee Ellis Ross, UnReal's Constance Zimmer, RuPaul, Laurie Metcalf, Beyonce the Director, and everyone involved with The People v. O.J. Simpson were all rightly recognized, Metcalf three times. I even think that the Emmy voters showed good taste in ignoring the well-done but plodding Show Me a Hero, the brutal Horace and Pete, and Hulu's troubled-in-Silverlake comedy Casual. (Troubled-in-Silverlake comedy You're the Worst deserved some love though.)

It is true that for all these good choices, the Emmys ignored the CW's deserving Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and Jane the Virgin, whose inimitable narrator was at least nominated in the Best Narrator category. It is also true that Broad City wasn't even in the Emmy conversation. But this is what happens, a little give, a little take; no nomination for Colbert, but none for The Daily Show either. In fact, I feel calm, cool, and collected about almost all of the nominees (Sam Bee, it's your year next year!), except when I realize that Sophie Turner, the best young actress on Game of Thrones by a dragon's length, was not nominated, yet Lena Headey, Maisie Williams, and Emilia Clarke were. God damn you, Emmys!

The Emmys still has vestigial fuddy-duddy taste. It holds on to stodgy favorites like Modern Family, House of Cards, Downton Abbey, and Homeland even as it bounces edgier former-favorites like Orange, Girls, and American Horror Story.  (I don't think The Good Wife is stodgy, but it got bounced this year too; so did Jim Parsons.) If I had to guess, I would wager that there is a core group of Emmy voters who like what they like no matter what is cool—PBS costume dramas, big-tent network comedies, apparently Bloodline—and a core group of voters who is sampling more widely, watching TV under the influence of cool, without being slaves to it. I'm sure these groups have overlapping taste, but this dynamic would explain both the Emmy's loyalty and its daring, and should give hope to Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: if you can become the Tatiana Maslany or The Americans of the future—i.e. the thing people point to when discussing the Emmys idiocy—you have a pretty good chance of one day getting an Emmy.

The Emmys make an interesting counterpoint to the Motion Picture Academy, which has lately been embroiled in a controversy about how old and white it is, and thus, how staid in its taste. For a few years now, the Emmys have been much fleeter of foot, slowly but surely moving away from reflexively nominating bland network fare to nominating that which is vibrant, excellent and, often, diverse—alongside some bland not-necessarily network fare. There is no surefire “Emmy bait,” except that which has the feel of a phenomenon (Making a Murderer, Game of Thrones, The People v. O.J. Simpson) and as long as this is true, every Emmy nomination day should be as nicely eclectic as this one.

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.slate.com%252Fblogs%252Fbrowbeat%252F2016%252F07%252F14%252Femmy_nominations_recap_and_analysis.html%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: This Year's Emmy Noms Prove Why It's Great That Emmys Have Replaced Ratings as the Industry's Standard-Bearer  

In an essay yesterday for the Los Angeles Times, Mary McNamara argued that the Emmy Awards have essentially replaced ratings—what with the splintering of outlets and audiences—as the standard bearer of industry success. Indeed, the Emmys have defined the programming strategies of upstarts like Netflix and Amazon, and they've reformed cable and broadcast networks alike.

This morning's Emmy nominations announcement affirmed this new Emmy-centric business model. USA Network received its first-ever Outstanding Drama Series nomination for its cyberpunk polemic Mr. Robot; Lifetime, formerly (and still largely) a purveyor of fluffy fare not taken seriously by awards-givers, netted a pair of major nominations for its flagship prestige drama UnREAL; and both Netflix and Amazon continued to build on their success with their distinct new half-hour series—Master of None and Catastrophe, respectively—also cracking the field. Even FX's decision to stick with low-rated critical darling The Americans paid off immensely, as its fourth season was slotted into Outstanding Drama Series and netted recognition for both of its lead actors.

The Television Academy is a voting body that, rather notoriously, tends to be averse to change. But the rapidly shifting shape of television is forcing an evolution in what, and who, is being recognized. The Limited Series/TV Movie categories are dominated this year by The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, FX's historical depiction that pays special attention to the complex racial and gender dynamics of the “trial of the century”; other major players include American Crime, John Ridley's provocative tapestry of intolerance in contemporary American life, and Roots, the urgent update on the classic 1977 miniseries. Over on the half-hour side, five of the seven nominees for Outstanding Comedy Series—Transparent, Black-ish, Veep,Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Master of None—center on either women, LGBTQ people or people of color.

In some ways, the story is the same: Game of Thrones only built on its control over the drama field with first-time nominations for Kit Harington and Maisie Williams, and it was once again joined in the top category by past-their-prime veterans Homeland, House of Cards, and the concluded Downton Abbey. And Veep is on top again among comedies. But of more pressing interest is the new crop of series and voices introduced to the ceremony—the future of the Emmys.

Considering the eligible new drama series, voters could have easily gone for HBO's Vinyl (which was abruptly canceled near the end of the voting period) or Showtime's Billions to replace the departed Mad Men (and snubbed Orange Is the New Black). Both represent quality cable television as it's been traditionally defined: anchored by an antihero, exceedingly dark in tone, and of a masculinized aesthetic. Their omissions are especially stark in comparison to the multi-nominated Mr. Robot and UnREAL, whose radical thematic underpinnings—a trippy call for revolution and redistribution in the former's case; a boldly feminist rewiring of tired TV tropes in the latter's—reflect the medium's turn toward a narrower commercial focus and broader artistic license.

Such heightened political aspirations speak volumes about what distributors are looking for in the new media market. American Crime, which this season advocated forthrightly for victims of sexual assault and LGBTQ bullying, was recognized for a second straight year in the Outstanding Limited Series category, and—despite low ratings—is beginning production on a third season set in North Carolina. After a single major nomination last year, ABC's Black-ish fit into Outstanding Comedy Series for its sophomore year on the strength of its powerful, issue-centric episodes, which tackled the use of the N-word and police brutality, among other prescient topics. It also bears noting that a season of television steeped in queer theory and intra-feminist discourse—that'd be Transparent's second season—is among the most cited series this year, with 10 nominations.

But no nominee shows this more clearly than Aziz Ansari. As the campaign season was ramping up, he told the Hollywood Reporter that he'd been initially sure that no network would give him "a show like Master of None. It definitely would have gone to some white guy.” Of course, Netflix—the original pioneer of this new specific programming strategy—did just that. And now, as a Best Comedy Actor nominee, he's the first South-Asian person ever to be nominated for a lead acting Emmy. (In fact, he received four nominations—for acting, writing, directing, and producing Master of None—this year alone.)  You can bet that his success, along with that of many others this morning, will continue pushing outlets toward more Emmys—and more voices.

Below is a list of the nominations.                            

Outstanding Drama Series
The Americans
Better Call Saul
Downton Abbey
Game of Thrones
Homeland
House of Cards
Mr. Robot

Outstanding Comedy Series
Black-ish
Master of None
Modern Family
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Veep

Outstanding Limited Series
American Crime
Fargo
The Night Manager
The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Roots

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series
Claire Danes, Homeland
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black
Keri Russell, The Americans
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series
Kyle Chandler, Bloodline
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Matthew Rhys, The Americans
Liev Schreiber, Ray Donovan
Kevin Spacey, House of Cards

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
Ellie Kemper, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Laurie Metcalf, Getting On
Tracee Ellis Ross, Black-ish
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, Black-ish
Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Will Forte, Last Man on Earth
William H. Macy, Shameless
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Bryan Cranston, All the Way
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: The Abominable Bride
Idris Elba, Luther
Cuba Gooding Jr., People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Tom Hiddleston, The Night Manager
Courtney B. Vance, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series of Movie
Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Audra McDonald, Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill
Sarah Paulson, People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Lili Taylor, American Crime
Kerry Washington, Confirmation

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks, Better Call Saul
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Peter Dinklage, Game of Thrones
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Michael Kelly, House of Cards
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan

Outstanding Supporting Actress—Drama Series
Maggie Smith, Downton Abbey
Maisie Williams, Game of Thrones
Lena Headey, Game of Thrones
Emilia Clarke, Game of Thrones
Maura Tierney, The Affair
Constance Zimmer, UnREAL

Outstanding Supporting Actor—Comedy Series
Louie Anderson, Baskets
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Keegan-Michael Key, Key & Peele
Ty Burrell, Modern Family
Tituss Burgess, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
Matt Walsh, Veep
Tony Hale, Veep

Outstanding Supporting Actress—Comedy Series
Niecy Nash, Getting On
Allison Janney, Mom
Kate McKinnon, Saturday Night Live
Gaby Hoffmann, Transparent
Judith Light, Transparent
Anna Chlumsky, Veep

Outstanding Supporting Actor—Limited Series of Movie
Jesse Plemons, Fargo
Bokeem Woodbine, Fargo
Hugh Laurie, The Night Manager
John Travolta, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
Sterling K. Brown, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story
David Schwimmer, The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story

Outstanding Supporting Actress—Limited Series or Movie
Melissa Leo, All the Way
Regina King, American Crime
Sarah Paulson, American Horror Story: Hotel
Kathy Bates, Iris
Jean Smart, Fargo
Olivia Colman, The Night Manager

Outstanding TV Movie
A Very Murray Christmas
All the Way
Confirmation
Luther
Sherlock: The Abominable Bride

 
robots  

%feed  
http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fredirect.viglink.com%2F%3Fu%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fnews.google.com%252Fnews%252Furl%253Fsa%253Dt%2526fd%253DR%2526ct2%253Dus%2526usg%253DAFQjCNEoXRyxflStWCaisxGTkny5LQ4rvA%2526clid%253Dc3a7d30bb8a4878e06b80cf16b898331%2526cid%253D52779155871488%2526ei%253DfDKJV-C2DaLszAbAuaTwAg%2526url%253Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.theverge.com%252F2016%252F7%252F11%252F12144618%252Fanki-cozmo-ai-robots-toys-hands-on-sdk-developers%26key%3Dddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
r0B0t: Hanging out with Anki's Cozmo, the toy robot putting AI at our fingertips - The Verge  

The Verge

Hanging out with Anki's Cozmo, the toy robot putting AI at our fingertips The Verge When playing with Cozmo, Anki's palm-sized artificial intelligence robot, it's easy to forgot all of the engineering and software running behind the scenes. Every action, from Cozmo's audible chirps of victory when it wins a game to its childlike ... Anki introduces tool that allows developers to hack its Cozmo A.I. robotVentureBeat Anki's AI-Powered Toy Robot Is Opening Cozmo Code To Anyone To UseiTech Post Meet Cozmo, the AI robot with emotions video - CNETCNET NewsFactor Network all 37 news articles »

 
robots