Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
In a monumental, life-changing decision, the Supreme Court has voted 5-4 in favor of same-sex marriage in all 50 states today, disallowing the 14 remaining states that hadn't legalized same-sex marriage to officially recognize them by law. The ruling won't go into effect for three weeks as the losing side is given time to ask for reconsideration. However, the odds of the Supreme Court reversing their decision are slim to none. The decision comes just in time for Chicago's Pride Parade taking place this Sunday, giving the LGBT community and its supporters even more reason to celebrate.
As a huge supporter of LGBT rights, I'm ecstatic to see our country move in such a positive direction. Yes, we still face many problems, both on a local and national level, but we're at least one step closer in ensuring everybody is given a fair chance to showcase their happiness in the way they choose to. The floodgates are sure to open with homophobic, hate-filled messages, but don't let those close-minded, ignorant tweets, Facebook posts, etc. negatively impact you, because no matter what the dissenters may do or say, nothing can take away this win.
Is Taylor Swift Really Trying To Rob Photographers?
In recent news, Taylor Swift criticized Apple for initially not paying artists during the trial period for Apple Music, their latest music streaming service. The battle went on for one quick day as Apple shortly retreated, granting victory to Swift's team and stamping the rare power she continues to have on music business.
Meanwhile, at the stem of this rebuttal, freelance photographer Jason Sheldon published an open letter on his blog where he argued Swift's recent image-licensing policy, suggesting the hypocrisy to her complaints towards Apple. In her policy, Editorial photographers assigned to shoot her shows must sign away rights to their photos, preventing them from being paid while giving Swift unlimited use of the pictures for publicity and promotion. It gets worse...
One section of the policy that Sheldon doesn't mention is the right to her management company to destroy a photographer's equipment if they break the terms of the contact, one they are obligated to sign before shooing her show. It reads the following:
If you fail to fully comply with this Authorization, authorized agents of FEI, the Artist or the Related Entities may confiscate and/or destroy the technology or devices that contain the master files of the Photographs and other images, including, but not limited to, cell phones and memory cards, and the Photographs and any other images.
Just today, a UK representative for Taylor Swift quickly countered and told Business Insider via email that the standard photography agreement to which Sheldon referred was "misrepresented." To me, this all sounds like "Bad Blood" more than anything.
At this point, we know that Apple changed their course of action but will Taylor Swift? As a photographer, I feel this is indeed quite hypocritical. Especially because it's photos from concert photographers that tend to promote ticket sales, creating a huge monetary benefit for promoters, venues and the Swift team alike. Needless to say, I'll refrain from shooting any Taylor Swift shows any time in the near future. What do you think?
Brace Yourselves, Kingdom Hearts III is Coming
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The wait is finally (almost) over. The renegade of the anime world, a Disney favorite and a (now) classic gaming series is closer than ever to revealing the third installment of the Kingdom Hearts franchise.
It’s been almost 15 years since the first release of Kingdom Hearts (2002) on Playstation 2 and 10 years since the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II (2005). While there have been remixes, remasters and small side stories available on handheld devices, the true third installment is right around the corner. The following games have all been small steps towards the upcoming release of the third game: Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts coded, Kingdom Hearts 258/2 Days, Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance. Most were considered to be flops, but the gems that stand out (Birth By Sleep, 3D: Dream Drop Distance, HD 1.5 + 2.5 Remix) have been quietly stalling the hunger of fans for the third game for quite some time.
It’s apparent the Japanese have an affinity for all things Kingdom Hearts as the Square Enix company holds KH, Final Fantasy, Hitman and Tomb Raider as their most coveted franchises. But, most importantly, the team at Square Enix are revving up their engines to bring audiences the best quality of the games they’ve grown to love over the years. With new and improved versions of the games we grew up with, Square Enix is taking the phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” to a whole other level.
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In addition to Disney characters and worlds, there are rumors that the team behind KH might take gamers into Marvel and Star Wars territory. With the third installation, the game will also be available for Xbox One, not just Playstation. According to the Square Enix conference this past week, the team is looking into sharing some exciting news about the game in November.
Illinois Lawmakers Pass Bill to Grant Amnesty to Underage Drinkers Who Call 911
Despite many attempts to curb underage drinking, it's an inevitable fact that teenagers will find a way to get drunk. Hell, I've been drinking since I was 17, and looking back on the past 11 years makes me realize just how ridiculous my friends and I once were (let alone the fact that we've been drinking for a very long time).
I'm in no way glamorizing underage drinking, but simply relating to the information at hand - pending a signature from Governor Bruce Rauner, Illinois may pass a bill that would pardon underage drinkers (and their friends) who call 911 for alcohol-related emergencies. However, it's up to the attending police officer to determine whether or not to grant amnesty.
The bill, officially referred to as HB1336, is meant to mirror similar legislation that intended for heroin overdose victims. As the Chicago Sun-Times notes, the purpose of the bill "signals to parents and young people that it’s safe to do the right thing," according to HB1336 supporter Rep. Kelly Cassidy.
However, if the bill is officially passed, it serves as a double-edged sword that will send mixed messages to Illinois teens: "Drinking underage is illegal, but if you get sick and are in need of medical assistance because of you breaking the law, we might give you a pass." I write this with my tongue in cheek, but that's basically what it represents. At the same time, it's progressive for Illinois lawmakers to recognize, acknowledge, and try to adapt with a problem that has been prevalent for years (and will continue to do so for many more) in a manner that will actually assist those who truly need help. I just fear that many teens will see this bill as a "free pass" for them to get drunk without facing legal consequences.
[via Chicago Sun-Times]
E3 2015: Highlights from Nintendo's Press Conference
After Microsoft and Sony's conferences both brought huge announcements, all eyes were looking toward Nintendo to see if they could match. While the overall conference was as fun as it was in years past thanks to Nintendo's increasingly weird digital events as this year brought puppets into the fold, it was an unfortunately light year. Light on huge announcements and only elaborating on video games we've heard about already, it felt a little lacking. We got some new footage of the newly titled Starfox Zero, and it looks great. Platinum Games has their work cut out for them as Starfox looks gorgeous, but ultimately seems to have all of the play style ideas (like different vehicle missions and such) from the canceled Star Fox 2. It's also got a stupid title. Miyamoto said he didn't wan't to number it or title it just "Starfox" since it's not a reboot or sequel, but zero is a number. Either way, the fact that the Wii U Gamepad gives a cockpit first person perspective is pretty neat.
Afterwards, Nintendo showed off a trailer for Fire Emblems Fates (the new two version game), some new Legend of Zelda games for the 3DS, a terrible looking Metroid spin-off, more amiibo stuff, and basically showed off extended trailers for games we knew existed.
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The biggest push for the show had to be for Super Mario Maker and Mario's 30th anniversary. There was nothing new here except the announcement of Nintendo's help for a charity, but that and Yoshi's Wooly World soaked up so much time. Don't get me wrong, I'll be happy to play these games whenever they release, but I look forward to E3 every year with the promise of new stuff to come. To hear about new Animal Crossing and Skylanders amiibo just rubs salt into the already wide amiibo wounds. There's no way I'd be able to buy these at launch thanks to Nintendo really messing up the stock domestically, and thanks to that, I'd never be able to find them ever. I feel for the poor kid who wants a Ness amiibo, or a new K.K. Slider amiibo, and can't get it because Nintendo's essentially only made one batch. amiibo used to be harmless fun, but as the newest Splatoon amiibo show, they're now a DLC delivery device that's actually holding back the progress of the games they are attached to.
Then again, there's a new Mario Tennis coming to Wii U so all is forgiven. Check out IGN for full Nintendo at E3 coverage!
E3 2015: Highlights from Sony's Press Conference
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The Final Fantasy VII HD Remake is real. As I passively mentioned last night, Final Fantasy VII is hands down my favorite video game ever, and despite developer Square Enix's mishandling of the Final Fantasy franchise over the past decade (re: exploitative sequels, spin-offs, narrative retcons, numerous production delays, etc.), I haven't felt this excited about video games in a very long time. Rumor has it that the Final Fantasy VII Remake will be released sometime in 2017 to commemorate the game's 20th anniversary. The game will debut on the PS4 first before being released on other platforms (namely Xbox One and PC). Watch that teaser video over and over (and over and over) until the game's released - I know I will.
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Unlike Microsoft's E3 press conference, Sony didn't have much to discuss in terms of hardware, focusing on software instead. One game that I was sure would never see the light of day is Team ICO's The Last Guardian, which was originally announced as a PlayStation 3-exclusive back in 2009. The subsequent years since its announcement left the project shrouded in mystery, with game director Fumito Ueda leaving Sony back in 2011 (although still on staff to see the game through completion) and a lack of presence at major gaming conferences over the years. However, Sony not only confirmed that The Last Guardian was still in development and re-developed for the PS4, it also has a definitive 2016 release date.
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Fighting game fans already know Street Fighter V will be coming to the PS4 and PC exclusively. However, Sony revealed that there will be a PS4-exclusive public online beta for the fighter scheduled to begin on July 23rd (for those who pre-order the game).
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To cap off the night's theme of revitalizing cherished video game franchises, Sony made a surprise announcement and revealed Shenmue 3 would be a PS4 console exclusive (and will also appear on the PC). Shenmue creator Yu Suzuki appeared to discuss the franchise's legacy and to reveal the game would be partially funded via Kickstarter. At press time, the game has surpassed its initial $2m goal with more than $2.5m already pledged.
You can find a full list of Sony's E3 announcements here.
E3 2015: Highlights from Microsoft's Press Conference
During their E3 2015 press conference yesterday, Microsoft dropped a bombshell - the Xbox One will be backwards compatible with select Xbox 360 games. While the list only features 100 games (both disc-based and XBLA), that number is sure to expand in the coming months as developers and publishers simply need to approve which games will be backwards compatible, and Microsoft will do the rest. Digitally-purchased games will appear on gamers' lists, while Xbox 360 discs will trigger a digital download when inserted into the system. This should give extra life to pre-existing 360 game libraries, although backwards compatibility has been proven to be overrated and unnecessary (re: early PS3s, the current market for HD remakes, etc.).
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Another personal highlight from Microsoft's E3 presser was the live Minecraft on HoloLens demo. For those unfamiliar with the Microsoft HoloLens, it's a special VR headset that projects what the viewer sees onto any surface. In the video above, the presenters play Minecraft projected directly onto the table (the cameras are fitted with HoloLens tech to capture and display exactly what the HoloLens users sees. Despite planting my flag firmly in the PlayStation camp, HoloLens can be revolutionary not only for gamers, but technology as a whole.
While these two announcements were the biggest for me, Microsoft made many other game-related announcements, as well as a complete overhaul of the Xbox One controller, referred to as the Xbox One Elite controller and can be seen in the header above, that will be completely re-mappable, more intuitive, and with a revamped D-pad.
I recommend checking out IGN's summary of Microsoft's E3 conference for more!
Akon's Solar Academy Could Bring Electricity to 600 Million People in Africa
Akon is taking some time off from "Smack(ing) That" to revolutionize the way in which Africans live. Last year, the singer/rapper launched the charity "Akon Lighting Africa" to bring solar-powered electricity to 11 countries throughout Africa. That feat alone is enough to marvel at, but the musician has his sights on a larger goal: bringing electricity to 600 million people in Africa.
To accomplish this, Akon has opened a Solar Academy in Bamako, Mali to train and educate engineers on how to utilize solar energy. Akon Lighting Africa co-founder Samba Baithily told Reuters, "We have the sun and innovative technologies to bring electricity to homes and communities. We now need to consolidate African expertise."
In a video released last month (which you can watch below), some of the benefits of solar lights in the aforementioned 11 countries were demonstrated, including providing lighting at night-time which curbs violence, allows merchants to extend their hours, gives children more time to study, and much, much more.
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[via The Independent]