Project xCloud: Microsoft says its cloud gaming service won't replace consoles

He clarified that Project xCloud streaming service won't replace consoles. 'We're developing Project xCloud not as a replacement for game consoles, but as a way to provide the same choice and versatility that lovers of music and video enjoy today. We're adding more ways to play Xbox games. We love what's possible when a console is connected to a 4K TV with full HDR support and surround sound - that remains a fantastic way to experience console gaming,' Kareem said. Project xCloud will also be developed on the same Xbox Live infrastructure allowing users to continue where they left off. Kareem also demonstrated Forza Horizon 4 streamed remotely on Project xCloud with hardware featuring an Android phone and an Xbox One controller. Kareem added, 'Anywhere with good network connection, you'll be able to participate in Project xCloud.' Console gaming requires high-speed internet connectivity, but the requirement would be comparatively lesser on devices like smartphones and tablets. However games like PUBG Mobile and Fortnite also require consistent internet connection for a seamless experience. Project xCloud will be optimised for 4G networks, and for the future 5G network as well. Microsoft will also use its Azure cloud services which is available in 54 regions globally. Project xCloud is scheduled to go live for public trials later this year. Microsoft's streaming service announcement came around the time Google also announced its venture into gaming. The search giant recently concluded the beta testing of Project Stream which it conducted with Assassin's Creed: Odyssey. Google has its keynote scheduled for the upcoming Gaming Developers Conference where it is expected to unveil 'Project Yeti' - a streaming service and gaming hardware. Microsoft is rumoured to be working on a disc-free Xbox One S All-Digital Edition. The device is said to be about $100 cheaper than the main version and launch in May later this year. Dailyhunthttp://www.subzerotyler.com/UserProfile/tabid/61/userId/78403/Default.aspx

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She storytellers: Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti and Nitya Mehra

There's a huge difference.Zoya: Like Namrata Rao, the editor of Made in Heaven and a lot of other big films, is very prolific. She's probably an inspiration to a young girl who doesn't have it in her to be a director but knows that she will make a good editor. So now we do have women in the Hindi film workforce who are inspirational and are working in hitherto male-dominated jobs. You won't believe the number of people I meet who tell me that their 14-15-year-old girls want to be directors. So the aspiration is there and so is the support.Nitya: And let me tell you that working with women has been so empowering. We understood each other, we knew where we were all coming from and brought in our emotions as women into the sets that really helped the show, I feel. So yes, having more and more women coming in to tell stories is a need. Between the three of you, you've directed some big films with big budgets and superstars. Do you still have to deal with stereotypes at work on a daily basis?Zoya: Forget about work, you have to deal with stereotypes in the country! Actually, the film industry, to me, is better than all the nonsense that happens outside it.Reema: The film industry doesn't care about your gender or your religion. they just care about whether you can deliver or not.Zoya: Success matters! More than anything else, it's success that works in this industry and producers are very quick to recognise that. If you can get in money for your producers, they will promote you. they will not think of your gender. Beneath the glitz and glamour of weddings, the show is a study of human psyche and a commentary on social ills like patriarchy and subjugation of women. How did you weave that into the narrative so seamlessly episode after episode?Zoya: As writers, Reema, Alankrita and I like our writing to be very rooted. We like to layer it and also want it to be a reflection of what is around us. the social dynamic that we are a part of. When you take patriarchy alone, there's so much that comes along with it - whether it's forced marriage, dowry, a premium on virginity. weddings done with an eye on corporate dealings.Nitya: And with nine episodes, we've barely scratched the surface!Reema Kagti: What we really needed to do was balance the trajectories of the main characters with all these episodic issues. We kind of tried to have the two have some kind of correlation.Nitya: The series format lends itself beautifully to ensembles. So I think it was a great playground for the writers to delve deep. We were able to give a lot of time to our main characters to develop them. There was a lot of meat to chew on.Are the characters - and more importantly, the weddings - inspired from observations or from imagination?Zoya: Half and half. You always use characteristics from people you know and meet and then mix it up. You obviously keep only what's interesting and suits the narrative. A lot of it is also inspired by newspaper headlines!Reema: Ya, I read a piece somewhere where a wedding was called off because chicken biryani had been served instead of mutton! (Everyone laughs)Zoya: That's understandable! (Laughs out loud)Reema: Then there was another instance where the bride called off the wedding because the groom broke into a naagin dance in front of all the guests! Which I think is justified. imagine waking up every morning and watching him do the naagin dance! (Everyone laughs)Nitya: Honestly, apart from the social angle bit, we also wanted to celebrate Indian weddings. they are so cinematic and beautiful. I, personally, have never been to a wedding where the decor has been the same. So yes, we have brought in the beauty and the glamour that accompanies our weddings into the show.Zoya: You've watched the show, so you know how big it is in scale. We wanted to shoot on location and not just knock it off in some studio.Zoya, you and Reema have been collaborators from the beginning of your careers. What was it like having Nitya and Alankrita on board? Were you guys on the same page all the time or would that have actually made it boring to work with each other?Nitya: If we agreed on everything, then something is definitely wrong!Zoya: I don't see any reason to collaborate with people who will not open my head and mind to something completely new. Having said that, you can't collaborate with people who aren't on the same side of the fence as you. Like I can't collaborate with anyone who thinks dowry is okay.. That's a problem. a big, big, big problem! As long as your politics, your value systems and so on are similar, then the different backgrounds, principles and influences that different people bring in are interesting.Nitya: Because it's a different wedding in each episode, we took turns in directing the episodes -Reema didn't direct any because she was making Gold at that time - but I think having different directors worked because we brought in a different aesthetic. And my job as showrunner was to ensure that even if the director and DoP (director of photography) changed in every episode, it all felt like a cohesive whole. as long as we knew the characters' arcs and kept hitting the sweet spot each time.What do each of you bring to the table?Zoya: With Nitya, we are on very familiar and safe territory. She came in as showrunner and she was the one who could read what we wrote and point out the inconsistencies. It was very nice to have someone from outside look at the writing objectively because, honestly, we are myopic! (Laughs) She's come back to us with, 'Dude, this doesn't work, this doesn't flow', and that really worked for us. She's been a first AD (assistant director) and she knows how to run a ship. And then she brought on her aesthetics as director.Reema: I'll tell you what Zoya brings to the table.Zoya: Oh, a lot of fabulousness! (Everyone laughs)Reema: Apart from a lot of self-praise and modesty (laughs and rolls her eyes), Zoya is a keen, keen observer of human behaviour and she locks it all in her brain. I love writing with her because she brings a depth to people and situations and she pushes me to do the same. She brings in subtext like no one else. She has visual strength and she can make even this bottle (points to the bottle in front of her) act!Nitya: I think both Zoya and Reema bring in the power of the written word. I love their minds!Reema: You didn't mention our good looks! (Laughs) The more women work in this business, it will enable more women to come in. it's as simple as that. You create more opportunities and safer environments and you will see that women are excelling not only as directors and actors, but also as producers, DoPs, editors Made in Heaven, a compelling nine-episode series built around the drama that accompanies weddings, drops on Amazon Prime Video today. Boasting a stellar cast (including Kalki Koechlin and Jim Sarbh), Made in Heaven is created and directed by a team of strong women storytellers - Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Nitya Mehra and Alankrita Shrivastava. With three of them - Zoya, Reema and Nitya - in Calcutta this week to promote the show, t2 caught up for a chat on what working together as women means to them and what will it take for more women to break into male-dominated Bolly bastions..Weddings, especially Indian weddings, come with their fair share of stress with the potential of so much drama in and around it. Was that the idea that spurred you on to write Made in Heaven?Zoya Akhtar: I think the idea did come from the drama that happens at weddings. I have friends that work in the business and one gets to hear a lot of stories. It's an interesting space. There's so much theatrics that goes on because we make weddings such an event in this country. It goes on for so many days, there's so much money spent, and it's a production. it's a show! To go behind the scenes of that show and see what all is happening was fascinating. It's a very juicy space! Nitya Mehra: I think the narrative has also been structured in a compelling way. Each episode deals with a different wedding and there's a kind of social commentary that accompanies every wedding. We touch upon social nuances that affect our country. All of this is juxtaposed with Karan (played by Arjun Mathur) and Tara's (Sobhita Dhulipala) personal lives and the trauma that they are going through. Dailyhunthttps://itsmyurls.com/juckzingchuk

Sena attacks BJP, says patriotism not the monopoly of a single party

Those demanding proof of the air strike and the ones seeking votes donning military fatigues are equally wrong, the Sena said, referring to Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari who wore military fatigues at a recent rally. The Sena said it was an insult to the soldiers and their courage. "Why act frivolously by wearing soldiers'' uniforms which they have obtained after rigorous training and hard work? It supports the allegations of the Opposition that the BJP is politicising the air strike," said the Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra. The terror attack in Pulwama in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed was more serious than the air strike and images of the carnage in Kashmir could be used by the Opposition to corner those in power, the editorial in ''Saamna'' said. "We have basically failed to prevent the casualties of our soldiers, but some wear the camouflage (outfits) and campaign for political reasons. It doesn't look good when the Election Commission has to intervene and ask the political parties not to use images of jawans in political campaigns," it said. The Sena lauded the "real courage" shown by wives of Army officers Colonel Santosh Mahadik and Major Prasad Mahadik, Swati Mahadik and Gauri Mahadik respectively, for their decision to undergo rigorous training and join the armed forces to serve the country. ... Dailyhunthttps://www.plurk.com/seenajeeraase

Boomerang movie review: Atharvaa starrer is a socio-political thriller that neither entertains nor inspires

In the process, Boomerang ends up neither as a solid commercial entertainer nor a praiseworthy and inspiring socio-political thriller. The film opens in a hospital and we see a doctor telling a couple that their son, Shiva, has suffered severe burn injuries in a fire accident and that he needs a face transplant. Shiva gets a new identity post the face transplant and we get a scene where he wakes up in the morning and is nearly shocked to see someone else's face in the mirror. His sister jokes about how she has a better looking brother now. With time, Shiva gets used to his new identity but the biggest shock comes in the form of some men trying to kill him and the mystery behind it is the answer to what happened to the person behind Shiva's original face. Through a back-story, we are introduced to Shakti and his big dreams for his village. When we meet Shakti, we see him floor a room full of managers with a flawless presentation, only to be sacked along with his team, a few minutes later. Shakti and his friends decided to go to his village and take up farming, but face stiff opposition from his own family. Shakti's mission to interlink rivers and encourage people to return to farming doesn't go down well with some people and a big multinational company which has other plans on its mind. Boomerang borrows a lot of ideas from a few popular south Indian films. The basic premise of face transplant and taking up the mission of the person who gives him his new identity is borrowed from Telugu film Yevadu. The entire agriculture angle and the needlessly boring stretch that remind us of the miserable lives of farmers is borrowed from AR Murugadoss's Kaththi, which also stars Vijay in dual roles just like how Atharvaa plays dual roles in this film. In commercial cinema, it's perfectly alright to get inspired and borrow ideas to make films but it is really disappointing when you can't do justice to the inspiration. Both Yevadu and Kaththi are good commercial entertainers and Boomerang borrows two exciting ideas from these films and makes a mockery of them in the process. It ends up as a film with big (even though borrowed) ideas which never get translated the way they're supposed to in order to create the necessary impact. In Kaththi, Vijay essayed dual roles and we don't see both the characters display heroism. Murugadoss makes one of the characters really helpless and gives the other a lot of star spotlight, making it a decent entertainer. In Boomerang, both the characters of Atharvaa get their share of heroic moments and we never feel like rooting for any of them. Among the supporting cast, RJ Balaji has decent screen presence with some politically-charged one-liners. Sathish is mostly annoying with his awkward jokes about women and Megha Akash gets wasted in silly role of a documentary filmmaker who is there for no reason in the film. Dailyhunthttp://knowledge.thinkingstorm.com/UserProfile/tabid/57/userId/271618/Default.aspx

Push for retaliatory tariffs against US

o far, the government has tried to downplay the impact of the US decision to withdraw duty-free access to about 3,500 items from India into the American market."India exported goods worth $5.6 billion under GSP last year, but our total GSP duty reduction benefits were worth only $190 million," commerce secretary Anup Wadhawan said.However, analysts said the US was a major export destination, and the impact would be felt mostly by small and medium enterprises, which could result in job losses."The government should consider additional MEIS benefit to offset GSP loss to enable exporters to reduce their prices, so that the landed price is more or less at the same level as under GSP," Ajay Sahai, director-general of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations (Fieo), said.Under the Merchandise Exports from India Scheme (MEIS), the government issues duty credit scrips to exporters. The scrips are freely transferable and used to pay customs duty.Levy impactExporters said many labour-intensive products would be impacted by the withdrawal of the GSP benefits. New Delhi announced its decision to impose retaliatory duties on 29 American products in June 2018 but has been postponing the move. The new date for the retaliatory duties is April 1. Dailyhunthttps://www.intensedebate.com/people/seenmeenees

Chennai Corporation budget: Flood mitigation is key priority

Claiming that bridges are important to any city, Commissioner Prakash said that the Corporation intends to clear old bridge projects and improve connectivity in the city. Work is expected to begin on the Elephant Gate Road and Stephenson Road Otteri Nullah bridge. In addition to this, construction of six bridges over the Buckingham Canal along the East Coast Road and three bridges over the Puzhal surplus canal in North Chennai, is expected to start this year. "The major roads in the city are in good condition so we are going to train our attention to the tier two roads in extended areas," Prakash said, explaining that a sum of Rs 537 crore has been allocated towards construction and relaying of interior and bus route roads. A wide range of projects improving the safety of women in the city, is going to be taken up at the cost of around Rs 100 crore. This includes augmentation of the existing 181 woman helpline by integrating an app, and mapping crime in the city and installation of smart poles in 617 crime hotspots in the city. "We want to bring down the police response time to 5 minutes using technology and coordinating with other departments," said Govinda Rao, Deputy Commissioner (Works). In addition to improving the safety of women, the corporation has also invested heavily in making the city safe from flooding. With the corporation having begun work in the Kovalam Basin and ready to begin storm water drain work at the Kosasthalaiyar Basin, a sum of Rs 270 crore has been allocated in the budget. "We are planning an early flood warning system which monitors reservoir levels and canal levels in real time to reduce damage to life and property," said Prakash. The Corporation, which currently has around 600 parks in the city, has proposed to add an additional 200 parks at a cost of Rs 53 crore under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Swadesh Darshan scheme and Chennai Rivers Restoration Trust.Seventh pay commission diminishes effect of increased property tax The increased property tax collection pegged at Rs 1350 crore with the hike in property tax rates last year, is still unable to end the Corporation's streak of deficit budgets. This is primarily because of the implementation of the seventh pay commission for all staff which takes the salary expenditure to Rs 1739 crore. "We are among the few states to implement the seventh pay commission and this has spiked our salary expenditure but we have tried our best to cut spending in other areas," said Prakash, claiming that the budget deficit has been brought down. Dailyhunthttps://forums.ubi.com/member.php/3802027-seenmeenees

Made in Heaven is one of the best homegrown shows on the web

Like at one point Tara says, "Weddings are just about some rich people wanting to blow up their money". Struggling with demons of her own is Tara's best friend Faiza (Kalki Koechlin), a poor little rich divorcee constantly looking for love and validation. In an ensemble where well-known faces like Deepti Naval, Neena Gupta, Pulkit Samrat and Shweta Tripathi guest-star - the other compelling recurring characters are Kabir (Shashank Arora), the wedding planning agency's videographer whose cynical voiceovers function as the show's moral commentary, and Jaspreet (Shivani Raghuvanshi), a girl hailing from humble roots who struggles to fit in with her new job in the agency. Some players may come off as stereotypes in the beginning, but their trajectories rarely follow a predictable path. What gives the narrative tone and texture is the strong socio-political subtext that accompanies every wedding, and which provides a peek into everything that ails modern Indian society - demand for dowry to a premium being laid on a virgin wife, patriarchy to archaic social traditions. Made in Heaven also stands apart for depicting homosexuality as a human identity that drives the narrative and is not relegated to just being a plot point.Made in Heaven is a highly nuanced show with an eye on detail. The glamorous - energetic dance rehearsals to star-studded sangeet parties - are juxtaposed with the sweat and tears that go into making them. Some precious moments stand out, with Faiza's sessions with her psychiatrist being therapeutic even for the viewer. Made in Heaven's biggest strength lies in the fact that it doesn't alienate any section of the audience. The conflicts are we-too, with both Arjun and Sobhita ensuring that they craft their characters in such a way that they feel like one of us. Jay Oza - who made Gully Boy come alive - is the man behind the camera here, his lens capturing the angst and anxieties behind the pretty faces. The same-sex scenes are sensitively filmed and are integral to the plot and not used merely to titillate.Made in Heaven is an extremely well-made show that will undoubtedly find a ready audience internationally, a perfect example of how scale and storytelling in India is well and truly on a par with its counterparts on foreign shores. Go, binge-watch! Ah... the big fat Indian wedding!For some, a day to celebrate love. For some, a meeting of two minds and two families. For some, a carnival and an ostentatious showcase for wealth and class. The merry - and sometimes murky - world of Indian weddings comes alive in Made in Heaven, a nine-part show that dropped on Amazon Prime Video last weekend, and is perhaps the most well-made homegrown web series that you would have watched ever since streaming became a way of life for many of us.Focusing on a different wedding in every episode, Made in Heaven is as much a social commentary as it is a behind-the-scenes look at the glitz and glam, the complexities and compulsions that go into the making of a desi wedding, which is fast losing much of its personal feel and becoming a public event of sorts. That it plays out in Delhi - a city where affectation and showiness are hardly frowned upon - gives the show a wide canvas to play on. The weddings play out against the backdrop of the lives and loves and interpersonal relationships of its two principal leads - Karan Mehra (Arjun Mathur) and Tara Khanna (Sobhita Dhulipala). Partners in a wedding planning agency called Made in Heaven, Karan and Tara are friends first. The world may be falling apart around them - and there is a whole lot of falling apart considering the series is largely peopled with dysfunctional characters - but Karan and Tara are rock-solid, their time together - she clinging to him as her marriage falls apart, he reaching out to her when he lands up on the wrong side of the law - giving the show its most heartwarming moments. Nothing is black and white in the world of Made in Heaven and that's where the show's biggest strength lies. The all-women team of Zoya Akhtar, Reema Kagti, Nitya Mehra and Alankrita Shrivastava, who take turns to direct the nine episodes along with Prashant Nair, write flesh-and-blood characters. Dailyhunthttps://www.imdb.com/user/ur98786381/?ref_=nb_usr_prof_0