A.I. Computer Programs getting closer to making movies on their own

December 30, 2016 | Kevin

The future is getting scary, weird, and closer to scenarios once only presented to us in science fiction which are now becoming a part of our everyday lives. This is evident again with news this week from IGN who reported on a new artificial intelligence computer program that can write and create ‘movies’ by itself.

A Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) study recently pitted two A.I. systems against each other, with one making a short movie and the other being tasked to find the machine-made video out of group made by real people when presented with the results. The short videos made by the A.I. were only one and-a-half seconds long with a 64×64 pixel resolution  and they were able to pass the opposing A.I. as realistically-created content. The same videos were also able to fool 20% of a human sample of workers at Amazon’s Mechanical Turk.

The short video can not create episodes of TV and movies but this tech can be applied to future initiatives with self-driving cars and other A.I. driven ventures. Still imagine what it would be like if a computer program was writing one of your favorite shows and you never even knew it wasn’t made by a real person? It is not guaranteed that this tech will grow out of control and replace all the talented creators behind the shows we love, it’s just uncomfortable to think it’s remotely possible.

If you were wondering, yes this is scary. Even computer genius and philanthropist Bill Gates has stated his fear of how the future of A.I. if left unchecked, could be dangerous for us humanity. It’s unsettling that highly intelligent person like Gates also thinks that something like ‘the Terminator’ movies could become a reality.

Read the entire article from Scientific American, 

The crazed future of computers taking over our world has been played out in almost any form of storytelling but an odd one that people seemed to be collectively seen as a miss is ‘AI: Artificial Intelligence’ the train wreck scifi film in 2001. Channel Awesome’s Nostaglia Critic breaks down the big theory of this man melding with machine story in one of this review.

 

 

Nashville Predadtors block Blackhawk fans from buying tickets

December 29, 2016 | Kevin

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The Nashville Predators are continuing their years-long mission this week to keep Chicago Blackhawks fans from attending games between the two teams at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Hockey fans attending the game tonight between the two teams, can get in with a season-ticket holder ID card or tickets by credit card but “will be restricted to residents of the Nashville Predators television viewing area — Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Residency will be based on credit card billing address. Orders by residents outside the viewing area will be canceled without notice and refunds given.”

The team confirmed the move in a tweet.

In 2013, the Predators started these restrictions to dissuade Hawks fans from coming south when they would not allow anyone to purchase single game tickets to Predators/Blackhawks games, rather offering two-game ticket packages. This evolved into another heavy-handed blockade during a playoff series (which the Blackhawks won by the way) where fans could only buy tickets locally and in person.

Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp (NCVC) has publically stated they are  unhappy with the move.

This is easily the most selfish and insecure move by any sports team in a while.

Here is a local TV report from Nashville touching on the topic.

Oh, and Tampa Bay Ligthning are dumb and petty too. Remember the Stanley Cup finals with them….

WGN sportscaster Pat Tomasullo reacted to this bs with this delightful bit filmed in Florida.

 

Robots Are The Future!

December 29, 2016 | Russell

I honestly didn’t think we would get to this point, but we officially have. We now have an APP that will write your handwritten notes for you. It’s called Bond and it’s all done by a single robot. Check the video to see what I am talking about!

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Best News Bloopers Of 2016

December 29, 2016 | Russell

Now that the end of the year is upon us, we should all go ahead and laugh at some of the funniest live TV Moments! Check out the 2 videos below of bloopers from around the world!

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Did More Celebs Die In 2016 Than Any Other Year?

December 27, 2016 | Eric

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Ahhhh, Carrie Fisher.  Too young.  Rest in peace….

You get the feeling that more celebs have died in 2016 than most years?

You would be….in the ballpark.  But not necessarily because of the reason or reasons you think.

I was wondering if it was a psychological phenomenon, so I started doing some Google searching.  What I found was this article from the BBC that gives us some clarity on the question:  have more famous people died in 2016?

Here’s what they found:

  1. Yes, more celebrities passed away that usual in about the first quarter of year.  So that probably conditioned our brains to expect doom and gloom.
  2. The numbers evened out over the rest of the year.  That made it comparable to other years in recent history.  That was a surprise to me.
  3. Celebrities from the Baby Boomer generation are now getting to that age.  So, more of them are passing away.
  4. We simply have more celebrities than we did in the past.  There are literally hundreds of outlets for people to become stars versus the old days.

I’ll leave you with this:  as you grow older, you’ve had more of an opportunity to form some sort of bond, however trivial, with those who have become famous.  So an 18 year old is not going to have as much perspective in this as say, a 38 year old.

It will be good to move on to 2017, but if you think we are going to escape this phenomenon, expect the Grim Reaper to keep on doing its thing. — [eric]

Carrie Fisher has died

December 27, 2016 | <3 Lauren

Carrie Fisher was flying from London to Los Angeles on Friday, Dec. 23, when she went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics removed her from the flight and rushed her to a nearby hospital, where she was treated for a heart attack. She later died in the hospital.

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📷: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty

More from People HERE

Dear 2016,

Uncle.

<3 @laurenoneil

 

 

VIDEO: The 1975 Full Show from London December 2016

December 26, 2016 | Kevin

 

The 1975 sold-out the 02 Arena in London a few weeks back, so why not film the whole show and put it up through Vevo? Sure, why not, we’re not going to tell them to stop. That’s right an entire HD pro-shot concert for free online, what a time in music right? Beware some strobey light effects and naughty words for those of you with sensitive eyes and ears.

If that’s not enough for the 1975 fans, here is there #Lounge session with us from November.

 

 

 

 

Want to be a part of a future Lounge? Text the word ‘LOUNGE’ to 312101 for more.

WATCH ALL OF OUR LOUNGE SESSIONS w/ Panic at the Disco, 888, K. Flay, and more

 

 

If Animals Were Humans!

December 26, 2016 | Russell

This might be the best pick me up to start a Monday after Christmas! I can not stop laughing!

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Twenty One Pilots: The Mutemath Sessions, Now With Free Download

December 25, 2016 | Eric

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Marconi originally let you get a sneak peak of the collaboration between twenty one pilots and Mutemath.  Turns out that Tyler and Josh are big fans of the band…and were really happy that they agreed to open their tour in 2016.  They really had a mutually enjoyable experience…and decided to hit the studio to reimagine five of their songs.  I’ve been listening to it all weekend long as I drove around Chicagoland.

NOW…here’s the link to get the five song EP they recorded together for free.  Consider it a belated Christmas present.  It won’t be available forever, though.  You have until January 18th.

And if you missed the video link that Marconi dropped on you, its below…all five songs.

Man Takes Zamboni For A Spin

December 25, 2016 | Russell

Could you imagine seeing this in person! I guess when you are hungry, you are hungry!

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CHRISTMAS MORNING VIRAL CLASSIC: NINTENDO 64 KIDS FREAKS OUT

December 25, 2016 | Kevin

Christmas morning is here. The kiddies have sprung from their beds to sprint down the stairs to see what wondrous delights Santa Claus and their loved ones have wrapped up for us to open. Oh and um, you run there to give gifts as well, right?

This general point in the childhood experience  is one that hopefully most can relate to, that magical gift we got one year on a big holiday or a birthday that made us so happy. That type of built-up excitement makes children react in many different ways that become talked about for ages within families, such is the case with the viral video known to most as ‘the Nintendo 64 Kids’. According Know Your Meme, the video which has garnered 21,123,804 since 2006 when it was uploaded by a man named Brandon (who is the maniac child in the video) after his girlfriend saw some of his home movies, and thought he should share this moment with the world. The world responded by sharing the video thousands of times and making it into one of the biggest memes of 2006/2007. The video became so successful that it was used for a car commercial.

For anyone who had a piece of their youth during the heyday of the N64 and rentable video games, has to appreciate the passing line where the kid says “Now we can rent games from Blockbuster!” which will make you feel very old and nostalgic at the same time. Though it’s outrageous, in this one singular moment you see unfiltered pure joy in a kid knowing he’s going to have a great time ahead playing video games, and there is just something beautiful about that.

Here are some of the best remixes and videos related to the legend of the N64 Kids.

The maddness of N64 goes much deeper than a mult-player Mario Kart marathon in this twisted re-edit which foreces the video zooming into the mania of it all.

GET OVER HERE!

 

Report: Carrie Fisher Suffers Cardiac Arrest On Flight

December 23, 2016 | Eric

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Carrie Fisher, best known as Princess Leia in Star Wars suffered a “cardiac episode” today near the end of a flight from London to Los Angeles. The actress was assisted when fellow passengers who are in medical field came to her aid and then she was treated quickly by paramedics when the flight landed.

UPDATE 6:30 PM CST: Fisher’s brother updated his sister’s condition to sources with the Chicago Tribune, upgrading her condition to stable. clarifying that she was “out of emergency”. Here is that story.  Earlier today  it was reported to be in critical condition after suffering cardiac arrest on a flight.  Here is a report from the Los Angeles Times.

Comedian Brad Gage and Youtube personality Anna Akana  who were also on the same flight as Fisher, tweeted about the situation as it played out.

Because The World Doesn’t Stop, Here Are Chicago Restaurants Open On XMas

December 23, 2016 | Eric

You know that part in A Christmas Story where the holiday feast gets ruined and the family ends up at Chop Suey Palace?  Of course you know what I’m talking about!  They play the thing for 24 hours straight every…year.  You should be able to quote the movie with your eyes blindfolded.

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So, I’m imaging two scenarios.  One, your Christmas experience in the kitchen…..falls short.  Or you could be like me, looking for a place to grab a bite after an on-air shift.  DNAInfo shared this guide to restaurants open on the 25th.  Maybe we will run into each other…we can sing a carol? — [eric]

‘KEVIN ALONE’ VIDEO: I MADE 101WKQX DISAPPEAR

December 22, 2016 | Kevin

 

‘Home Alone’ is one of the greatest Christmas-related movies, so that led to this: our second annual tribute to the story of boy (in this case, a man-child) left at home during the holidays. This short sketch features a cameos from the 101WKQX squad and a Radio Hall of Famer you may know from our buds, WLS 890 AM.  Happy Holidays, Ya Filthy Animals!

Be a pal and share this link with friends and family!

Enjoy our first ‘Kevin Alone’ video from last year. NOTE: The hat…yes, the hat!


Youtube movie reviewer Christ Stuckman gives this wonderful retrospective on the original Home Alone movie if you are looking for them sweet ‘member berries.

 

The Pig Candy Sandwich is Coming to Wrigley

December 22, 2016 | Lou

As if a World Series win wasn’t enough, the Cubs are upping their food game for 2017 with this BLT. The Pig Candy Sandwich. ESPN’s Darren Rovell was kind enough to share this with the world. NBC has more on it HERE.

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