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Facebook on Tuesday unveils its plans on the beta launch of Facebook Spaces, a new app that allows users to connect with friends and colleagues in an interactive virtual reality environment. Facebook Spaces is available for Oculus Rift and Touch at the Oculus Store.

The new VR software, Facebook space app provides a way for social media users to hang out as they might otherwise in person — even bridging great distances — noted Rachel Franklin, head of social VR at Facebook.

An avatar (an avatar is the graphical representation of the user or the user’s alter ego or character. An icon or figure representing a particular person in a video game, Internet forum, etc.) represents each user in Facebook Spaces.

Its appearance is based on the user’s photo, but can be further modified with choices of eye color, hairstyle and facial features that best fit the person’s identity.

After creating a virtual persona or profile, users can...read more @www.frontline.ng/tech/facebook-builds-vr-space-can-safe/

One of the most exciting aspects of filmmaking is putting together your video production equipment package. Keep in mind, there is no "one size fits all" equipment package for everyone since there are so many variables (budget, type of project, locations, pro vs amateur, etc), so what we have tried to do on this page is cover some basic gear you may want to consider.

Documentary Video Production Equipment Package and Gear List:
Below is a video production equipment list for the beginner filmmaker. This is simply a starter guide in your search for some basic filmmaking gear. A great place to start is with a video camera and build from there.

Video Camera

Panasonic GH4 (4K) The camera pictured above, the Panasonic Lumix GH4, is a popular camera with documentary filmmakers.
A video camera is the centerpiece of your filmmaking gear package. What camera you choose depends on your budget, the type of shooting you're doing (static, stealth, run-and-gun, etc.) and where you plan to showcase your film (web-only, theater, broadcast, etc). You can shoot a documentary on anything from your iPhone to a DSLR to a top of line digital cinema camera such as the Red Epic. Whatever camera you choose, make sure you capture excellent audio. Click here for help on how to choose a video camera.

Tripod

A necessary piece of equipment to keep your footage looking steady and professional.
Get a tripod with a fluid head for smoother looking pans.
Camera Light
Sometimes a nice pop of light from the camera can help fill in ugly shadows. A camera light is a nice accessory to have especially in a documentary/news style shoot where you might not have time for a full 3-point lighting set-up.

Three-Point Lighting Kit

You only really need a lighting kit if you're planning to do a lot of shooting inside. Creating a well lit scene usually involves a 3-way lighting set-up.
Good lighting doesn't have to be expensive. Learn more about various lighting techniques.

Shotgun Microphone

Great audio often separates the pros from the amateurs. Having a shotgun mic prepares you for almost every situation. It's perfect for setting on top of your camera or a boom pole.
Learn about different types of microphones.
Left: Audio-Technica AT897 Shotgun Microphone

Boom Pole

A boom mic set-up comes in handy to capture audio from a group interview, crowd scenes or any situation where you need to gather professional audio quickly. In addition to the boom pole (right), you'll need a shockmount and a shotgun mic.


Shock Mount

Here's the simple gadget needed to turn your shotgun mic into a boom pole mic. A shock mount keeps the mic steady on top of the pole and prevents the mic from picking up "bumping" sounds when the pole is moving around.

Audio (XLR) Cables
If you plan to use a professional audio set-up with your camcorder, you'll need XLR cables to go from your camera to the mic.

Wireless Microphone

Sure, you can use a "wired mic" which is a bit less expensive, but I wouldn't go on a documentary shoot without my wireless microphone. Unless you have an audio person who can hold a boom mic, this is the next best thing providing tons of flexibility for walk-and-talk interviews with your subjects.
Recommended wireless mic system (this is what I own):Sennheiser EW 112P (left).

Portable Digital Audio Recorder

If you decide to shoot your documentary with a DSLR such as the Canon 5D Mark III, it's highly recommended that you either get a portable audio recorder such as the Zoom H5 (left) or a preamp audio box such as the juicedLink RA333 to attach to your camera. Why? The DSLR cameras only come equipped with a mini-jack audio input which doesn't capture professional/broadcast quality sound. Because of that, you'll need some way to capture professional audio. The bonus with the preamp is that the audio is recorded directly to the camera whereas with the portable recorder, you'll have to sync the audio and video later during editing.

Headphones

Getting great audio means monitoring the sound at all times while shooting. Find a good quality, comfortable set of headphones to make sure you avoid any nasty audio surprises when you get back from the shoot.

Light Reflector

This is a must-have item for your documentary filmmaking kit. A light reflector can turn an ugly amateur-looking shot into a golden and gorgeously lit scene.

Lenses: Wide Angle, Clear "Protective" Lens, Polarizer, Zoom Lens, Macros, etc.

Have you ever seen those cool fish-eye scenes? That's from using a special wide angle lens. If you're shooting in super sunny situations, an ND filter or circular polarizer can dramatically improve the image. Or what about super close-ups of a bug or flower, that's when you need a macro lens.

3-4 Extra Batteries
You never want to get caught without enough batteries out on a shoot. Unless you're heading out into the Amazon, 3-4 extra batteries should be enough for most shooting situations.

A Samsung engineer recently said that he expects foldable smartphone displays to be ready for mass consumption in 2019.

"Because the bezel-free display currently sells so well, we still have enough time to develop foldable displays," Samsung Display principal engineer Kim Tae-woong told The Korea Herald. "The technology is expected to be mature around 2019."

A foldable display will pave the way for gadgets that can be folded into smaller sizes. Imagine a tablet that can be folded into a smartphone that can be folded into something even tinier and more pocket-friendly.

Phone-makers have experimented with this sort of "foldable" technology before, though rather unsuccessfully. Kyocera launched a phone on Sprint named the "Echo" that folded in half, but used two separate display panels instead of a truly foldable display.

A report from Bloomberg last summer suggested that Samsung was going to...read more www.frontline.ng/mobile-devices/samsung-propose-foldable-smartphone-displays/

The Director of the IT Directorate and CIO at NASA's Ames Research Center Jerry Davis at the GITEC conference April 2, said while the "internet of dangerous things" has the potential to improve data analytic s and increase efficiency, this greater connectivity is "beginning to change our lives as we know it, in not such a good way."

The dangers emerging from the expansion of the internet of things requires rethinking decades-old security practices and education curriculum, according to a top IT official at NASA. With billions of devices connecting to the internet, security practices have to address the possibility of once-improbable "black swan" events becoming the order of the day.

"Security has always been everyone's problem," he said. "We have to rely on everybody that's in the community to mitigate these issues."

Davis pointed to recent instances where IoT attacks have taken place, such as when researchers remotely hacked a Jeep's steering, transmission and brake systems and when Iranians accessed a computer at a New York dam.Davis said that much of the technology users rely on is built on "60 years of bad software development," which has resulted from a rush to get new technology to market. https://www.frontline.ng/tech/cyber-security/nasa-iot-might-not-secure-cio-nasas-ames-research-center-jerry-davis/