Budding filmmakers will have a new outlet for their work when the Independent Film Channel begins airing short movies initially produced for its Web site.
The new IFC Media Lab is envisioned as an online community for independent filmmakers who want to distinguish their flicks from the growing amount of video posted on the Internet.
Short films of six minutes or less will be posted on the IFC site, and viewers can vote for their favorites. Starting in April, the top five films will air on the IFC cable TV channel between scheduled programs.
The Media Lab was quietly launched late last year and now has almost 4,000 registered members and 400 films submitted.
The site will grow to include Web journals, links and resources for filmmakers.
Block that Yale site!: Thai communications authorities have blocked a Web page, run by a U.S. university publisher, that promotes an unauthorized biography of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
The page on the Web site of the Yale University Press contains a short summary of the book “The King Never Smiles,” scheduled to be to be published May 29.
The book, by American journalist Paul Handley, is the first comprehensive biography in English of the 79-year-old king, the world’s longest reigning monarch. The country already has banned imports of the book, which the royal family considers insulting to the king.
Thailand’s king is revered by most Thais, and words and behavior considered insulting to the monarchy are punishable by up to 15 years in prison, although the crime has rarely been prosecuted in recent years.
In a statement, Yale University Press said it was aware of the concerns but stood by the author. It said that the book has been thoroughly vetted by leading scholars and Yale faculty and that the author has expertise, having spent 13 years living in Thailand and reporting on the region.
EHarmony just wants to help: The online matchmaking service eHarmony.com has a new tool for married couples – and it isn’t to help them cheat.
The Pasadena, Calif.,-based company describes its eHarmony Marriage tool as a relationship “tuneup,” a way to help married couples strengthen their relationships.
Couples complete an online questionnaire and are given a customized report offering observations in 10 areas such as communication, sex and romance. They are also given suggestions on how to improve.
The program also includes 12 videos running about 20 minutes each, with exercises and coaching from Neil Clark Warren, a clinical psychologist who founded the service.
The service costs $239 for the profile and video counseling, or $80 for the profile alone.
Check out those robotic biceps: Enryu’s 15-foot arms are powerful enough to lift a small passenger car, and its hands are almost as dexterous as a human’s.
And come next year, the 5-ton, 11 1/2-foot robot may soon be helping communities across Japan reach avalanche sites and clear snow.
A model tested recently in Niigata prefecture, at the heart of Japan’s snow country, has two hydraulically operated arms, each capable of lifting 1,100 pounds, according to spokesman Shiro Fujita of Tmsuk Co., the robot’s maker.
In the tests, Enryu successfully lifted a car from deep snow and simulated knocking ice and snow off rooftops, Fujita said.
Tmsuk originally developed Enryu – or “rescue dragon” in Japanese – as a robot to assist in earthquake rescue operations. But given record amounts of snowfall this season, “we decided to test if we could adapt Enryu to handle snow-related disasters,” Fujita said.
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