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WorldOct 10Sleepy Hollow homeowners brace for spooky season onslaught of Halloween crowdsEvery October, thousands of tourists descend upon Sleepy Hollow, NY, for “spooktacular” celebrations surrounding Halloween.headtopics · united states of america
BusinessOct 10DeKalb School District 428 approves collective bargaining agreement with classroom teachersSuperintendent Billy Hueramo touted what the agreement means for the district.shawlocal · canada
WorldOct 10Thomas Jefferson’s DNA punctures America’s slavery amnesiaNew research using a strand of hair from Thomas Jefferson has effectively settled a longstanding, acrimonious debate: He almost certainly fathered children with Sally Hemings, a young Black woman he enslaved.eagletribune · united states of america
Sci & TechOct 10Adam Savage Goes Inside ILM to See How the New Razor Crest Miniatures Were FilmedIn a recent Tested video, Adam Savage visits ILM to see how the completed Razor Crest models are being filmed for the production. The tour includes ILM’s upgraded motion-control stage, a custom miniature LED volume, compositing techniques, and an outdoor shoot at Skywalker Ranch where the larger Razor Crest gets photographed under real sunlight. There’s even an appearance from Jon Favreau, who clearly shares Savage’s enthusiasm for seeing an actual Star Wars spaceship sitting outside in the California sun. A major part of the video centers on John Knoll and the new motion-control rig he developed after working with a much simpler system in the past. Knoll wanted smoother track movement, additional degrees of freedom, and a proper crane, so he built exactly that. The new system uses standard Matthews camera dolly track, while much of the remaining hardware is custom-built from extruded aluminum and other components. One of Knoll’s biggest engineering priorities was eliminating backlash from the mechanisms so the camera and model movements could be repeated with extreme accuracy. That includes a large gear reduction between the stepper motor and sprocket, with multiple timing belts pulled tight enough to virtually eliminate backlash. Ball screws and tightly machined linkages help keep everything repeatable while still allowing the rig itself to flex slightly. That precision becomes especially important when you see what ILM is putting on the rig. The finished Razor Crest miniature is about four feet long and absolutely loaded with physical detail. It sits on a three-axis model mover capable of controlling roll, pitch, and yaw. The size and weight of the miniature meant Knoll couldn't simply reuse the smaller mover previously employed for a 24-inch model. His solution came from ILM history. Knoll remembered an old geared camera head that had once been displayed outside the company's PR office. The equipment was still sitting in storage, so it was pulled out and put back to work. Since the old pan-and-tilt head only provided two axes of movement, Knoll added another custom belt-driven mechanism to give the Razor Crest the movement needed for the shoot. It’s a great example of ILM combining modern digital filmmaking with hardware that has been hanging around the company for years. The process of deciding which shots should actually use the physical Razor Crest is equally interesting. Knoll went through the film and identified roughly 30 shots he wanted to attempt with miniatures. Not every spaceship shot automatically benefits from using a model. A fast-moving shot buried in motion blur might make more sense as CG. Knoll is interested in shots where audiences can really see the ship and where the physical miniature's handcrafted qualities can contribute something worthwhile to the final image. ILM can design those shots digitally before anything moves on the physical stage. A CG version of the motion-control rig can be created with animators limited to the same motorized axes available on the real hardware. That means they can design a shot while already accounting for the physical limitations of the camera and model movers, including possible collisions and clearance problems. One of the trickier parts of photographing the Razor Crest is its reflective metallic surface. For earlier miniature work on The Mandalorian, Knoll could concentrate largely on space shots, where lighting could be created with a primary light source and strategically placed bounce cards. Once the Razor Crest enters an atmospheric environment, things get much more complicated. Its reflective body picks up the sky, horizon, landscape, and surrounding light. ILM's answer is basically a miniature version of the LED volume technology associated with modern Star Wars production. The team built an approximately eight-foot-by-eight-foot-by-eight-foot, four-sided LED cube around the model. Environment artists create imagery that can be displayed across those LED surfaces, providing both illumination and reflections on the Razor Crest. Instead of trying to fake every reflection with conventional studio lights, the ship can reflect the environment it’s supposed to be flying through. That also gives the miniature some gorgeous subtle detail when photographed. Knoll explains that the LED volume can produce so much light that they sometimes have to turn it down, even while shooting at ISO 100 and F/22 with exposures around 1.3 seconds. The team also photographs different lighting elements separately for compositing. Running lights, sunlight and other passes can be captured individually, allowing artists to adjust their intensity and timing later. Knoll shows Savage an early composite where sunlight can effectively be brought on and off because it exists as its own image stream. The LED panels create another technical problem, though. Because each LED is a tiny illuminated point surrounded by a black matrix, the model can develop jagged edges when photographed directly against the panels. The solution is wonderfully practical. A black area is positioned on the LED wall directly behind the Razor Crest from the camera's perspective. Most of the volume can continue illuminating and reflecting across the model while the camera sees a clean black background immediately around its silhouette. Then the production heads outside. At Skywalker Ranch, the larger Razor Crest is photographed using actual sunlight, and this is where Favreau joins Savage to admire the finished miniature. Favreau points out how well the ship's physical metal treatment reacts to harsh natural light. The model uses foil and other physical surface treatments that create complicated specular highlights, reflections, hot spots and imperfections. Even the canopy contains tiny scratches that contribute to the image as the camera gets closer. CG remains a huge part of the filmmaking process, something Favreau readily acknowledges, but the physical model provides details generated naturally by real materials interacting with real light. Of course, shooting outside introduces one gigantic light source that ILM can't move: the sun. Knoll plans the outdoor photography around its position throughout the day. He uses sun-position calculations and time-of-day studies to determine the best orientation for the Razor Crest and the ideal shooting window for each planned shot. The miniature, camera track and individual camera positions are carefully arranged so multiple shots can be captured without constantly rebuilding or realigning everything. The crew spends the morning testing moves against the previs, then shoots each planned move as the sun reaches the required position. That turns the outdoor miniature shoot into a race against natural light. On the ILM stage, the crew can control practically everything. At Skywalker Ranch, they have to work with whatever nature gives them. For Savage, seeing a real Star Wars model sitting outside at the Ranch understandably brings out the kid in him. Favreau also takes a moment to praise Savage for digging into this side of filmmaking and recognizing the enormous amount of work craftspeople put into details audiences may never consciously notice. The whole Tested video is a fantastic look at what makes ILM's approach so much fun. This isn't practical effects fighting against CG or some attempt to prove one technique is better than another. It’s physical miniatures, digital previs, motion-control photography, LED environments and compositing all being used together to get the shot. Most importantly, ILM built a four-foot Razor Crest, put it on a giant motion-control rig, hauled it out into real sunlight, and filmed it like a proper Star Wars miniature. That’s just awesome.geektyrant · united states of america
WorldOct 10Minnesota vs Purdue Prediction, Pick, College Football Odds for Saturday, October 10Read Minnesota Golden Gophers vs Purdue Boilermakers predictions, picks and odds in our college football betting preview for Saturday, Oct. 10.actionnetwork · united states of america
HealthOct 1086-year-old found dead in sweltering 99-degree room at assisted-living facilityThe elderly woman ‘got confused easily,’ her son reportedly told policeThe Independent World
PoliticsOct 10Secret Service director warns of unprecedented threatsThe director of the Secret Service tells 60 Minutes the threat environment in the U.S. is unlike anything he's seen before. And it's not just gunmen anymore. Can the Secret Service still protect the president in the age of drones, political violence and social media? Norah O'Donnell reports, Sunday on 60 Minutes.CBS News
PoliticsOct 10Condemned woman who survived execution in the US returns to prisonUna mujer condenada a muerte en EE.UU. sobrevivió a su ejecución tras recibir dos dosis letales. Fue hospitalizada y luego regresó a prisión.El gobernador de Tennessee suspendió las ejecuciones y ordenó investigar el caso, tras aceptar la renuncia del jefe penitenciario.Clarín
Sci & TechOct 10AI will make Americans dumber and poorerThe author argues that the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence risks establishing a high-tech feudalism where a few mega-corporations exert unprecedented control over human cognition and social infrastructure.The Hill
WorldOct 10Christa Pike back in prison, but still receives medical careAnderhalve week na de mislukte executiepoging in de Amerikaanse staat Tennessee is Christa Pike ontslagen uit het ziekenhuis. Ze is terug in de gevangenis, melden Amerikaanse media. "Ze blijft medische zorg krijgen in de gevangenis en wij zullen haar herstel in de gaten blijven houden", laten haar advocaten weten. "Ze is de hulpverleners en haar medisch team dankbaar voor hun zorg in deze buitengewone omstandigheden." Donderdag werd bekend dat Pike weer een beetje kon lopen. Snel na de mislukte executiepoging was ze al bij bewustzijn en aanspreekbaar. De 50-jarige Pike zou vorige week in TenneNOS Buitenland
DisasterBreakingOct 108 dead after shooting in Erie, Pennsylvania, governor says. Shooter also dead - AP NewsAP News
WorldOct 10"Tulsa King" star Garrett Hedlund talks season 4Actor and musician Garrett Hedlund joins "CBS Saturday Morning" to chat about the upcoming season 4 of "Tulsa King."CBS News
WorldOct 10Former Black Midi frontman cancels US tour after sexual misconduct allegationsFlyers containing the accusations were handed out at show in Vancouver, CanadaThe Independent World
WorldOct 10The legacy of Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears iconMike Ditka, a star tight end and renowned coach for the Chicago Bears, has died at the age of 86.CBS News
WorldOct 10Christa Pike out of hospital and back in prison after surviving US execution attemptChrista Pike, who survived Tennessee’s attempt to execute her by lethal injection, has been moved back to prison, her lawyers said on Saturday. Pike, 50, was discharged from the hospital and is back at the Debra K. Johnson Rehabilitation Centre, the women’s prison where she was housed for 30 years, her lawyers said in a written statement. “She is grateful to the first responders and her medical team for their care in these extraordinary circumstances. She is continuing to receive medical care at...South China Morning Post
ConflictBreakingOct 10'Multiple' people dead, including suspected assailant, in Erie shootingsbuffalonews · united states of america
DisasterOct 10ECU-Rice Kickoff Time Changed to 1 p.m. Due to Isaias Weather ThreatThe East Carolina University football game aGainst Rice was rescheduled from 4 p.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday to avoid inclement weather expected from Hurricane Isaias. The change impacts parking, parade, and gate opening schedules.headtopics · united states of america
PoliticsOct 10The American death row inmate Christa Pike left the hospital ten days after her execution failedLes avocats de Pike affirment qu'elle est « reconnaissante » envers l'équipe médicale qui l'a soignée après qu'elle a survécu à deux injections létales le mois dernier.BBC Afrique
PoliticsOct 10Pope criticizes death penalty after Hegseth announces public executionPope Leo XIV called the death penalty “an attack” on human dignity a day after senior Church officials condemned the Pentagon’s plans to live-stream an execution of Nidal Malik Hasan.Washington Post World
PoliticsOct 10India-U.S. trade pact to be finalised keeping changed circumstances in mind: Piyush GoyalPiyush Goyal also said trade pact negotiations are on with number of regions including Israel, Chile, GCC, and Russia-led group Eurasian Economic UnionThe Hindu
PoliticsOct 10Christa Pike, the woman who survived two lethal injections, is dischargedUna mujer en EE.UU. sobrevive a dos inyecciones letales y es dada de alta en Nashville tras diez días de hospitalización.Regresa al principal centro penitenciario femenino de Tennessee, según informaron sus representantes legales.Clarín
WorldOct 10Christa Pike left the hospital and returned to Tennessee prison after failed lethal injectionTennessee inmate Christa Pike was released from the hospital and is back in prison more than a week after she survived the state's attempt to execute her by lethal injection, her attorneys said Saturday.The big picture: The failed execution was unprecedented. Pike, 50, got two doses of the deadly drug pentobarbital on Sept. 30 and was still breathing.The state called an ambulance and Pike got life-saving care at a local hospital.Pike's attorneys said they believed she was "brain dead" and on life support. It shocked them and her doctors when she woke up and began talking earlier this week.WhatAxios
DisasterBreakingOct 109 people dead in Erie, Pennsylvania mass shootingThe Hill
WorldOct 10Christa Pike, who survived US execution attempt, is discharged from hospitalPike survived two doses of pentobarbital in botched Tennessee execution attemptIrish Times World
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