THE REVIEW

October allowed us to catch up a bit and focus on a few things: namely the end of Fashion Week and incredible Tech products flooding the market and changing life as we know it.

Here's a bit about Fashion and Tech and we'll see you in December for more overall news happening in November.

FASHION

PARIS FASHION WEEK

GIVENCHY

Written by: NICOLE PHELPS for VOGUE® Modifications by: THE REVIEW®

Pics and content Courtesy of: GIVENCHY®

To mark the changing of the guard at Givenchy, the LVMH-owned house secured the Palais de Justice, a magisterial building of mid-19th-century vintage on the Île de la Cité, never before used for a fashion show. It’s Givenchy’s exclusively for the next three years and it’s dazzling. Clare Waight Keller, the British designer formerly in the creative director’s chair at Chloé, has inherited Givenchy from Riccardo Tisci, who left the label in February after 12 years. That’s an epoch by today’s they’re-in-and-then-they’re-out-again standards. While he was here, he transformed Givenchy into one of the red-hot labels of Paris fashion without so much as a nod in the direction of the archives. Which means that, in a season of debuts, this one was the most keenly anticipated.

In a preview, Waight Keller said she did indeed look back at house founder Hubert de Givenchy’s dynamic sketches, and that she came to the conclusion that he started everything with the shoulder; also, that he was a fan of graphic print. She said she chose two: a clover from 1961 and the animal motifs of 1981. Her color cues came from the archives as well: lots of black and white with pops of mint and red. Waight Keller met the 90-year-old couturier last week and left their hour-long meeting feeling like she had his blessing. He confirmed her impressions about his design aesthetics.

On the runway, that strong shoulder and the graphic patterns were much in evidence. She opened with a double-breasted brass-buttoned coatdress cinched with the season’s de rigueur fanny pack and followed it up with a breezy dress in three different sizes of clover print. Salable stuff, but not high fashion of the kind the industry has been trained to expect from Givenchy. Waight Keller, who had a lot of success with accessories at Chloé, introduced the GV3—a new multi-strap handbag named after Givenchy’s original address on Paris’s Avenue Georges Cinq—and her V-point knee-high boots looked cool and were designed with a woman’s eye for comfort and practicality. Men’s will prove a steep learning curve; her opening salvo looked like Tisci by way of Hedi Slimane. The show ended with evening, which is more Waight Keller’s element. Any one of the little black dresses could end up on Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, or Julianne Moore, all of whom sat front row. Still, the whole remained less than the sum of its parts.

There is no right answer about how to approach a heritage brand in 2017. Do look at the archives or don’t. . . Acknowledge your predecessor or ignore him. . . What’s required are clothes with a heart and soul, something to get the blood pumping. Waight Keller has a big support system behind her at Givenchy and she’s done this before. Let’s give her some time.

CHANEL

Written by: LAUREN ALEXIS FISHER for HARPER'S BAZAAR® Modifications by: THE REVIEW®

Pics and content Courtesy of: CHANEL®

Chanel took over Paris' Grand Palais for its Fall 2017 couture show. From the Parisian-inspired set to Karl Lagerfeld receiving a very special honor, here's everything to know from the show.

1) The set was inspired by the iconic fashion house's home-base: Paris. Models walked underneath a giant Eiffel Tower replica that was created to overarch the runway.

2) The front row was especially star-studded this season. Attendees included Pharrell Williams, Julianne Moore, Tilda Swinton, Katy Perry, Tracee Ellis Ross, Rowan Blanchard, Cara Delevingne, Kristen Stewart and more.

3) Every look was topped off with a boater hat. Karl Lagerfeld is bringing the early 20th century hat back. The accessory was presented in a variety of tweeds, satin and leather.

4) The collection itself featured a somber color palette of grays and blacks. The first 25 looks were all variations of gray, later leading to head-to-toe black ensembles and a gorgeous Chanel bride in all-white for the finale. Much like the hats, the designs were a nod to the elegance of an early 20th century woman.

5) But the makeup was a technicolor dream. Every model's look featured an over-the-top rainbow eyeshadow, a bright and welcome contrast to the dark-hued collection.

6) At the end of the show, Karl Lagerfeld received the highest honor of Paris. The city's mayor Anne Hidalgo presented the designer with a Grand Vermeil medal, the highest distinction the city offers, for his work in the French capital.

ALEXANDER MCQUEEN

Written by: VANESSA FRIEDMAN for THE NEW YORK TIMES® Modifications by: THE REVIEW®

Pics and content Courtesy of: ALEXANDER MCQUEEN®

You do what you can do with the platforms available to you, said Sarah Burton, who built an English bower for her McQueen show, a covered tulle pathway dripping tendrils of blooms. And one thing she could do was offer a moment of grace, a nod to the healing powers of nature, and its regenerative strength.

She did so with cobwebbed crochets in palest blush-pink and raspberry, semidetached frills trailing behind on the floor. With trenches patched together from old posy-strewn quilts. With moth-eaten knits pinned by rhinestone souvenirs. With desiccated tulle and washed organza debutante dresses worn over narrow tuxedo trousers. Even biker boots had clear Lucite heels filled with dried rosebuds and coiled strands of your grandmother’s pearls.

It might have started as an ode to a garden in East Sussex, but implicit in the weft was a reminder: This is one way we remember.

TECH

Here's a synopsis of a few Tech projects from AD WEEK NY and that have been spoken about throughout the year and are sure to be a hit, inspire others, and blow your mind in the process.

VNTANA

Written by: Natascha French® for BUSINESS WIRE®

Modifications by: THE REVIEW®

Pics and content Courtesy of: VNTANA®

VNTANA Collaborates with Microsoft, Introduces the HOLLAGRAM: The First Interactive and Social Media Integrated Hologram System

The HOLLAGRAM Combines Real-Time Holographic Video Capture with Interactive Gesture Control, Allowing Consumers to Have an Augmented Reality Experience without Wearables

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VNTANA, the augmented reality company that builds the only interactive and scalable hologram systems, launched the HOLLAGRAM, the first interactive hologram system with social media integration and data collection capabilities. The HOLLAGRAM combines Microsoft technology with VNTANA’s hardware and software platform, introducing an advanced social augmented reality experience without wearables.

Hologram Selfies are Here! @VNTANAlive introduces the #HOLLAGRAM in collaboration with @Microsoft #AugmentedReality

The HOLLAGRAM creates a realistic holographic experience that places the digital in the real world. Consumers stand in front of VNTANA’s HOLLAGRAM and immediately see their own hologram LIVE on the display. Using gesture control, they can interact directly with holographic objects, such as a celebrity, product or any other object rendered in the digital space simply by moving their hands in front of the display. Immediately after the experience, users receive a branded email with a GIF, video or photo of the experience that they can share on social media.

The new scalable systems range in size from 32 inches up to 15 feet, and use standalone hardware so everyone can see it. The HOLLAGRAM provides a group experience that can be shared and installed in venues ranging from sport stadiums to conferences to classrooms. Core features include:

Interactive Software: Real-time holographic video capture with interactive gesture control

Social Media Integration: System captures a picture, video or GIF of the user that can be immediately shared on all major social media platforms.

Data Collection: Collects voluntary and passive data from user (captures email contacts, number of impressions, etc.)

“We built the HOLLAGRAM in response to consumers’ proven social behavior and expectations. User-generated content has become so powerful. It is more likely to be reposted, shared and people trust it more,” said Ashley Crowder, Co-Founder and CEO of VNTANA. “Technology is moving towards extreme personalization that will help consumers and brands improve future experiences.”

VNTANA was founded in 2012 with the goal of allowing people to be in multiple places at the same time. Microsoft’s strong entrepreneurial ecosystem played an essential role in the development of the HOLLAGRAM. In 2013, after hacking on the Microsoft Kinect, VNTANA became a part of the Microsoft Early Developer and Microsoft BizSpark programs and gained access to Azure, Microsoft’s cloud platform, and Visual Studio developer tools. These provided core capabilities for the HOLLAGRAM’s data collection needs and social media integration. “Microsoft has been a huge part of our success, both as a partner and now as a client,” added Crowder. “Their technology provided us the tools to build the next generation of our products.”

Empowering startups like VNTANA is a main driver for Microsoft. “We are always looking for startups and entrepreneurs whose vision is built around innovation of our technology,” said Larry Orecklin, Vice President, Developer Experience and Chief Evangelist of Microsoft. “VNTANA is a story of a startup that had the vision, the innovation, the passion, and we are thrilled to have partnered with them and excited to see what the future looks like for holograms.”

VNTANA’s interactive hologram technologies are applicable globally and across multiple industries including advertising, retail, business communications, sports, automotive, education, healthcare and entertainment. VNTANA has been used by many Fortune 500 brands including Pepsi, Microsoft, Mercedes-Benz, NBC, Virgin, DJI and others.

About VNTANA

VNTANA is the leader in social augmented reality; creating sharable experiences through its interactive hologram technology. From holographic photo opportunities with your favorite celebrity to gesture controlled drone piloting, VNTANA has built the first and only interactive hologram system with social media integration and data collection capabilities that provide measurable return on investment. VNTANA’s technology is at the cutting-edge of Social Augmented Reality. Its core product, HOLLAGRAM, combines real-time holographic video capture with interactive gesture control, allowing consumers to experience augmented reality in groups and without wearables. VNTANA is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA. For more information, visit, www.vntana.com or follow us on Twitter @VNTANAlive.

OUTERNET

WHAT IS OUTERNET AND IS IT CHANGING THE FUTURE OF INTERNET?

Written by: Andrew Tarantola for GIZMODO® Modifications by: THE REVIEW®

Pics and content Courtesy of OUTERNET

For 60 percent of the world's population, regular internet access is about as common as flying cars. Nearly 5 billion people today lack basic internet access either because they live in remote, rural areas or due to restrictive censorship on the part of the local government.

But where the internet has failed, the Outernet hopes to succeed. It's working to get a new breed of satellite-based communication off the ground, promising to give even the most remote corners of the globe access to the whole of humanity's collective knowledge.

The Outernet is the brainchild of the same-named New York-based tech company, a free content distribution system that would provide basic web access broadcast via a series of geostationary and LEO satellites, as well as cube sats using a combination of datacasting and User Datagram Protocols.

Datacasting is exactly what it sounds like: the wide area broadcast of data using radio waves rather than physical mediums (like cable, telephone, or powerlines). User Datagram Protocols, or UDP, is very similar to conventional over-the-air radio or television broadcasts in that it's uni-directional. The data is beamed from its source to any device within range and there's no guarantee that it will be received, just like radio stations broadcast their signals without regard to which or how many radios are currently in range to catch it.

UDP is one of the most basic forms of Internet protocol. Invented back in 1980, it's a connectionless transmission model—in that it doesn't require someone to be on the other end of the line when the data is sent.

Radio for the digital age

In essence, the Outernet is a modern analog to conventional radio broadcasts. The signal originates from a single, central location—originally a radio station's broadcast tower, but, in this case, the Outernet HQ in NYC—and travels across a variety of wavelengths until it hits a suitable receiver—previously a pair of rabbit ears, now a 20-inch satellite dish—where the end user can flip between "stations" by modulating the received frequency.

But rather than rely on terrestrial radio stations, the Outernet bounces its signal up to a series of satellites then back down to a suitable receiver. This receiver doubles as a Wi-Fi hotspot then connects to a computer or mobile device and transfers the received data as a digital file. And since there is no two-way communication—just like you can't talk to your radio and expect a reply—the system requires much lower bandwidth and, therefore, much less money to operate.

"When you talk about the internet, you talk about two main functions: communication and information access," The company's co-founder, Syed Karim, told the BBC. "It's the communication part that makes it so expensive."

Humanity's public library

On the information side, the company has begun forming what it calls a "core archive" of knowledge based on information gleaned from 5,000 Wikipedia entries, Project Gutenberg, and a smattering of copyright-free e-books. The early plan—which definitely has some kinks to work out—is to crowdsource what content is broadcast and make decisions based on user requests and upvotes.

What's more, since the system in uni-directional, it's far more difficult to censor—just as shortwave radios served as vital information lifelines for those stuck behind the Iron Curtain during the Cold War. Initially funded by a news media investment company, Outernet's mission is to provide free, anonymous, educational information, available to regions facing government censorship or otherwise off the grid.

In August this year, the startup started beaming this data across 200MB of leased geostationary satellite bandwidth, which reaches throughout North America and most of Western Europe, with plans to expand to the rest of the globe by July, 2015. Should the company's IndieGoGo fundraising efforts work out, it could boost the daily broadcast limit to 100GB in the near future.

A single receiver in a central African village, according to Karim's recent Ted Talk, could provide reams of valuable information to as many as 300 local residents—everything from agricultural texts to health, and human services. "If you were in the vicinity of a hotspot receiving the data from the satellite, you would be able to connect with Outernet on your phone and see Librarian—our index software—as if it was just an offline website," he said. "There you would find the data, stored in files."

In addition to disseminating evergreen information, the Outernet could very well also be used for emergency alert broadcasts which would be updated multiple times an hour instead of the average rate of once every week or so.

The plan is n0t quite perfect, however, as Mark Newman from the technology research firm Ovum, pointed out to the BBC:

When you start to think about the needs of rural communities in developing markets, what they are going to be most interested in are things that impact their daily lives - subsistence, crops, weather and healthcare. I question whether by sourcing content centrally and distributing it locally, you will meet those local needs - both in terms of content and language. Literacy is also going to be an issue. Delivery by audio rather than text would be something to look at, but that would use up more data.

An ambitious project

Still, some internet is way better than no internet. And with estimates placing global internet reach on par with what Outernet can provide still 15 to 20 years away, the Outernet could provide a valuable stop-gap service until conventional 'net access becomes viable.

To that end, Outernet has partnered with the World Bank in South Sudan to perform a test run of the service next July. Should it prove successful, the company hopes to increase its coverage area and begin offering the self-contained receivers, called "lanterns," from its Indiegogo campaign around that time.

And even if the Outernet itself fails to take off, it is far from the only free access system currently in development. Two of the biggest names in tech have already thrown their weight behind similar strategies. Google's Project Loon would see fleets of high altitude balloons bouncing 3G signals from the stratosphere back down to the Earth's most remote regions. Facebook's Internet.org, on the other hand, envisions swarms of drones and LEO satellites performing the same function. Even SpaceX is rumored to be building a satellite fleet to bring internet to the far-flung corners of the globe.

So, regardless of who actually comes up with the winning design, the internet is bound to become a truly global phenomenon—including the third world. [LA Times - Indigogo - Wiki - BBC]

NVIDIA JETSON

Nvidia's Pascal-powered Jetson TX2 computer blows away Raspberry Pi

Written by: Agam Shah for PCWORLD.COM® Modifications by: THE REVIEW®

Pics and content Courtesy of PCWORLD.COM

The Raspberry Pi may be the most widely known board computer being sold, but Nvidia's Jetson TX2 is one of the fastest.

The Jetson TX2, unveiled Tuesday, is a full Linux computer on a tiny board the size of a Raspberry Pi. It's designed to help make robots, drones and other devices that rely on computer vision applications.

Nvidia Jetson TX1 customers include this Toyota robotic personal assistant.

The board's main attraction is a GPU based on Nvidia's latest Pascal architecture, which is also in the company's fastest GPUs, like the Tesla P100. The Pascal GPU brings computer vision to robots and drones, allowing them to recognize objects and navigate around obstacles.

The computer is an upgrade from the original Jetson TX1, and packs two times more performance while drawing two times less power. Nvidia claims the Jetson TX2 delivers 1.5 teraflops of performance, which is unmatched on developer boards.

A comparison between the first and second generations of Nvidia's Jetson processor. The major change is the upgrade to the GPU, and the addition of more compute cores.

The Raspberry Pi 3 comes nowhere close to the Jetson TX2 in performance.

But the Jetson TX2 performance comes at a hefty price. As a student, you can buy the Jetson TX2 developer kit with major ports including Ethernet for $299, otherwise it will cost you $599. The developer kit will ship in the U.S. and Europe later this month, and Asia-Pacific next month.

Nvidia is also selling a stripped-down version of the Jetson TX2 that has fewer ports. That will start selling for $399 if a buyer purchases 1,000 units.

The Jetson TX2 can run Ubuntu and ROS (Robot Operating System), which is built on top of the Linux OS.

It has 32GB of storage, 8GB of LPDDR4 memory and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. The GPU can render 4K video at 30 frames per second, or 2K video at 60 frames per second. The TX2 has two Denver 2 CPU and four Cortex-A57 CPUs.

Much like Raspberry Pi, Jetson was originally launched as a hobbyist product. But its use has now matured in consumer and industrial areas, said Deepu Talla, vice president and general manager of Tegra at Nvidia.

The TX1 is used in devices like Cisco's Spark Board, a large-screen computer designed for collaboration. It has also been used in drones for search and rescue and surveillance.

The TX2 is not meant for basic robots or drones, but for those that need heavy computing vision applications, which in turn require good GPU performance.

The new Jetson TX2 can also be used for machine learning and edge computing, for example in surveillance systems or cars. The computer could sift through a range of images to identify objects and people.

Bundled with the computer will be Jetpack 3.0, a software development kit that will help write programs that take advantage of the GPU on board. Jetpack 3.0 has deep-learning kits like TensorRT and parallel programming frameworks like CUDA.

The year is coming to a quick close and lots is in process for the upcoming holiday season.

As always, WATCH THIS SPACE.