We propose an automatic method to infer high dynamic range illumination from a single, limited field-of-view, low dynamic range photograph of an indoor scene. In contrast to previous work that relies on specialized image capture, user input, and/or simple scene models, we train an end-to-end deep neural network that directly regresses a limited field-of-view photo to HDR illumination, without strong assumptions on scene geometry, material properties, or lighting. We show that this can be accomplished in a three step process: 1) we train a robust lighting classifier to automatically annotate the location of light sources in a large dataset of LDR environment maps, 2) we use these annotations to train a deep neural network that predicts the location of lights in a scene from a single limited field-of-view photo, and 3) we fine-tune this network using a small dataset of HDR environment maps to predict light intensities. This allows us to automatically recover high-quality HDR illumination estimates that significantly outperform previous state-of-the-art methods. Consequently, using our illumination estimates for applications like 3D object insertion, we can achieve results that are photo-realistic, which is validated via a perceptual user study.

The most recent episode of Rotten Tomatoes' new movie-review series, See It/Skip It, opened not with a rave, nor a thumbs-down, but a semi-apology. "We've seen the conversations online about the Justice League Tomatometer," co-host Jacqueline Coley told her Facebook Watch audience, "and we get it: You guys are passionate about this film. But we hope everyone understands the only thing we're trying to do is add context and conversation around the Tomatometer, and not just give a number." What's Zack Snyder Been Doing Since He Left Justice League? It was an odd, stilted start to what's supposed to be a breezy movie-chat show (the phrase "context and conversation around the Tomatometer" sounds like something a drunken Babelfish bot might spit out).

Vinci 2.0 is a standalone computing device with a Quad-Core ARM Cortex A-7 processor and WiFi, 3G cellular（SIM card built-in), and Bluetooth connectivity. You can ask Vinci to make a call, send a text message, set a reminder, or give you directions. No phone is required so you can carry less and workout more. Vinci 2.0 can receive push notifications directly from your phone no matter how far away you are from it. Whether you are lifting weights, jogging, or cycling, just ask Vinci for your favorite songs, request songs by specific genres or moods, or let Vinci recommend a song for you, 20 languages supported.

The holidays are upon us, which means toys are popping up everywhere. There are Hatchimals and Shopkins, Fingerlings and Oonies, and of course updates on classics like Legos and Nintendo. The most popular of the bunch have already begun selling out online and in stores. Shoppers are projected to spend an average of $967.13 this holiday season, a 3.4 percent increase from last year, with the bulk of that money going toward gifts for family members, according to the National Retail Federation. Spending on toys is also on the rise, with roughly 40 percent of adults saying they plan to buy toys this year, up from 29 percent five years ago, according to data from Deloitte.

Eighty-five per cent of senior executives plan to invest in artificial intelligence (AI) and the internet of things (IoT) by 2020, according to a new survey of UK digital leaders by Deloitte. The findings come from the first edition of a new regular report from Deloitte, the Digital Disruption Index. The index will track investment in digital technologies and create a detailed picture of their impact on the largest and most influential business and public sector bodies. The first edition includes responses from 51 organisations with a combined market value of £229bn. Over half of survey respondents expect that by 2020, they will invest more than £10 million in digital technologies and ways of working – such as AI, cloud, robotics, blockchain, analytics, the IoT, and virtual and augmented reality. Seventy-three per cent say they will invest in robotics, 63 per cent in augmented and virtual reality, 62 per cent in wearables, 54 per cent in biometrics (such as voice and finger recognition), and 43 per cent in blockchain.*

An artificial intelligence expert has called for countries to ban so-called "killer robots" before activists' warnings against them become a reality. The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots recently released a short film, in which autonomous weapons are used to carry out mass killings with frightening efficiency, while people struggle to work out how to combat them. A United Nations panel discussed the issue last week, but next plans to meet next year. Toby Walsh, Scientia Professor of AI at UNSW Sydney, says he's "confident" that killer robots will be banned, but is worried that the decision could take a long time to make. "[The] arms race has happened [and] is happening today," he said at the UN, reports AFP.

The sky-high prices of now archaic technology have been revealed in a gallery of old newspaper and magazine adverts. The vintage ads promote bulky computers, phones, video players and camcorders at eye-watering prices. They include a 1956 promotion for a magnetic tape recording system priced at $2,675 (£2,020), around $24,000 (£18,000) today when considering inflation. A simple landline answering machine would have cost you $130 (£98) in 1971, one advert shows, which today would cost $780 (£590). Since the first personal smartphones and computers were released in the mid-1970s, rising competition and ever-advancing manufacturing technologies have meant the average price of the gadgets has plummeted.

Welcome to California Inc., the weekly newsletter of the L.A. Times Business Section. Good times in the Golden State: We learned Friday that California added 31,700 net jobs in October and the state unemployment rate fell to 4.9% from 5.1% a month earlier. The latest state jobs report follows a strong September, when employers boosted payrolls by a revised 50,300. In October, the leisure and hospitality sector, and the educational and health services sector, saw the largest gains. The Automobile Club of Southern California says this year's Thanksgiving holiday will be the busiest locally since 2007, with 3.87 million residents expected to get away for the long weekend.

There just happens to be a much better streamer available if you're willing to spend another $20. That would be the stellar Roku Streaming Stick, which for $50 includes a remote with TV volume and power controls, voice controls, and point-anywhere RF technology. If you plan to use your Roku for any decent stretch of time, you'll want those features. Still, the new Roku Express is more powerful than its predecessor, which in turn makes it passable enough to buy as a cheap gift, for use with a universal IR remote, or perhaps for TVs you don't intend to use very often. Compared to last year's model, it feels a little less like a compromise.

Video streaming has been popular for quite some time, but its growth seems to keep expanding. While it was initially popularized by platforms such as YouTube and then Facebook, today they are being joined by video-on-demand services such as Netflix, Amazon and Hulu. Recently a study suggested that as much as 70% of all online traffic consists of streaming video and audio, and it is placing a heavy demand on internet bandwidths across the world. Although internet speeds and bandwidth have grown over the years, the demand for videos with higher resolutions and bitrates has grown as well. To help optimize the usage of available bandwidth for streaming video, most streaming platforms use algorithms known as Adaptive Bitrate (ABR). Traditional ABR algorithms are either rate-based that vary the video quality based on connection speed, or buffer-based that attempt to constantly keep a certain percentage of the video pre-loaded as a buffer so that the stream is smooth.