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Battle Droid
In the ''Star Wars'' space opera franchise, a droid is a fictional robot possessing some degree of artificial intelligence''.'' The term is a clipped form of " android", a word originally reserved for robots designed to look and act like a human. The word "android" itself stems from the New Latin word "androīdēs", meaning "manlike", itself from the Ancient Greek ''ἀνδρος'' (andrós) (genitive of ''ἀνήρ'' (anḗr), "man (adult male)" or "human being") + ''-ειδής'' (-eidḗs), itself from ''εἶδος'' (eîdos, "form, image, shape, appearance, look"). Writer and director George Lucas first used the term "droid" in the second draft script of ''Star Wars,'' completed 28 January 1975. However, the word does have a precedent: science fiction writer Mari Wolf used the word in her story "Robots of the World! Arise!" in 1952. It's not known if Lucas knew of this reference when he wrote ''Star Wars'', or if he came up with the term independently. The word "droid" has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
R2-D2 & C-3PO (Star Wars)
R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Ireland ''or'' . The letter is the eighth most common letter in English and the fourth-most common consonant (after , , and ). The letter is used to form the ending "-re", which is used in certain words such as ''centre'' in some varieties of English spelling, such as British English. Canadian English also uses the "-re" ending, unlike American English, where the ending is usually replaced by "-er" (''center''). This does not affect pronunciation. Name The name of the letter in Latin was (), following the pattern of other letters representing continuants, such as F, L, M, N and S. This name is preserved in French and many other languages. In Middle English, the name of the letter changed from to , following a pattern exhibited in ma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Android (operating System)
Android is a mobile operating system based on a modified version of the Linux kernel and other open-source software, designed primarily for touchscreen mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Android is developed by a consortium of developers known as the Open Handset Alliance and commercially sponsored by Google. It was unveiled in November 2007, with the first commercial Android device, the HTC Dream, being launched in September 2008. Most versions of Android are proprietary. The core components are taken from the Android Open Source Project (AOSP), which is free and open-source software (FOSS) primarily licensed under the Apache License. When Android is installed on devices, the ability to modify the otherwise free and open-source software is usually restricted, either by not providing the corresponding source code or by preventing reinstallation through technical measures, thus rendering the installed version proprietary. Most Android devices ship with additional ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sentience
Sentience is the capacity to experience feelings and sensations. The word was first coined by philosophers in the 1630s for the concept of an ability to feel, derived from Latin '':wikt:sentientem, sentientem'' (a feeling), to distinguish it from the ability to think (''reason''). In modern Western philosophy, sentience is the ability to experience Sense, sensations. In different Asian religions, the word 'sentience' has been used to translate a variety of concepts. In science fiction, the word "sentience" is sometimes used interchangeably with "Wisdom#Sapience, sapience", "self-awareness", or "consciousness". Some writers differentiate between the mere ability to perceive sensations, such as light or pain, and the ability to perceive emotions, such as fear or grief. The subjective awareness of experiences by a Consciousness, conscious individual are known as qualia in Western Philosophy of mind, philosophy. Philosophy and sentience In philosophy, different authors draw differen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Star Wars (film)
''Star Wars'' (retroactively titled ''Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope'') is a 1977 American epic space opera film written and directed by George Lucas, produced by Lucasfilm and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It is the first film in the '' Star Wars'' film series and fourth chronological chapter of the " Skywalker Saga". Set "a long time ago" in a fictional universe where the galaxy is ruled by the tyrannical Galactic Empire, the story focuses on a group of freedom fighters known as the Rebel Alliance, who aim to destroy the Empire's newest weapon, the Death Star. Luke Skywalker becomes caught in the conflict while learning the ways of a metaphysical power known as "the Force" from Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. The cast includes Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, David Prowse, James Earl Jones, Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew. Lucas had the idea for a science-fiction film in the vein of '' Flash Gordon'' aro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Incredibles
''The Incredibles'' is a 2004 American computer-animated superhero film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Written and directed by Brad Bird, it stars the voices of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Spencer Fox, Jason Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, and Elizabeth Peña. Set in a retro-futuristic version of the 1960s, the film follows Bob and Helen Parr, a couple of superheroes, known as Mr. Incredible and Elastigirl, who hide their powers in accordance with a government mandate, and attempt to live a quiet suburban life with their three children. However, Bob's desire to help people draws the entire family into a confrontation with a vengeful fan-turned-foe. Bird, who was Pixar's first outside director, developed the film as an extension of the 1960s comic books and spy films from his boyhood and personal family life. He pitched the film to Pixar after Warner Bros.' box office disappointment of his first feature, ''The Iron Giant'' (1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, California, United States. Since 2006, Pixar has been a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, which is another studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. Pixar started in 1979 as part of the Lucasfilm computer division, known as the Graphics Group, before its spin-off as a corporation in 1986, with funding from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who became its majority shareholder. Disney purchased Pixar in January 2006 at a valuation of $7.4+ billion by converting each share of Pixar stock to 2.3 shares of Disney stock. Pixar is best known for its feature films, technologically powered by RenderMan, the company's own implementation of the industry-standard RenderMan Interface Specification image-rendering API. The studio's mascot is Luxo Jr., a desk ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SoundDroid
The SoundDroid is an early digital audio workstation designed by a team of engineers led by James A. Moorer at Lucasfilm between 1980 and 1987. It was a hard-disk–based, nonlinear audio editor developed on the Audio Signal Processor (ASP), a large-scale digital signal processor for real-time, multichannel equalization and audio mixing. History Lucasfilm started putting together a computer division right after ''Star Wars'' as an in-house project to build a range of digital tools for filmmaking. The audio project that became SoundDroid was done in close collaboration with the post-production division, Sprocket Systems, and later spun out as part of a joint venture called The Droid Works. Only one SoundDroid prototype was ever built and it was never commercialized. EditDroid and SoundDroid were the beginnings of the desktop tools digital revolution. Sonic Solutions Sonic Solutions was an American computer software company headquartered in Novato, California. In addition to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Non-linear Editing System
Non-linear editing is a form of offline editing for audio, video, and image editing. In offline editing, the original content is not modified in the course of editing. In non-linear editing, edits are specified and modified by specialized software. A pointer-based playlist, effectively an edit decision list (EDL), for video and audio, or a directed acyclic graph for still images, is used to keep track of edits. Each time the edited audio, video, or image is rendered, played back, or accessed, it is reconstructed from the original source and the specified editing steps. Although this process is more computationally intensive than directly modifying the original content, changing the edits themselves can be almost instantaneous, and it prevents further generation loss as the audio, video, or image is edited. A non-linear editing system (NLE) is a video editing (NLVE) program or application, or an audio editing (NLAE) digital audio workstation (DAW) system. These perform non-des ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
EditDroid
The EditDroid is a computerized analog non-linear editing Non-linear editing is a form of offline editing for audio, video, and image editing. In offline editing, the original content is not modified in the course of editing. In non-linear editing, edits are specified and modified by specialized soft ... (NLE) system which was developed by Lucasfilm spin-off company, the Droid Works and Convergence Corporation who formed a joint venture company. The company existed up through the mid-'80s to the early '90s in an attempt to move from analog editing methods to digital. EditDroid debuted at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) 62nd Annual meeting in Las Vegas in 1984 concurrent with another editing tool that would compete with the EditDroid for all its years in production, the Montage Picture Processor. The EditDroid was never a commercial success and after the close of ''The Droid Works'' in 1987 and subsequent redevelopment of the product for seven years, the softwa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motorola Droid Pro
The Motorola Droid Pro, also offered by Sprint Nextel, Sprint and Boost Mobile (United States), Boost Mobile as the Motorola XPRT, and outside the United States simply as the Motorola PRO, is an Android (operating system), Android-based smartphone manufactured by Motorola Mobility, Motorola and released on November 18, 2010, for Verizon Wireless and June 5, 2011, for Sprint. These devices are available for Verizon Wireless, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, Sprint and Boost Mobile in the United States, and are designed for business users. Features The Droid Pro/XPRT/PRO features a 3.1" capacitive touchscreen paired with a QWERTY keyboard, and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera with dual LED flash. The smartphone includes global abilities, with customers able to use services in over 220 countries worldwide, 120 of which offer 3G connectivity. The Pro also includes 3G mobile hotspot abilities, and thus can share its connection, with up to five other devices. See also * HTC Droid Incredible relea ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motorola Droid 2
The Motorola Droid 2 (GSM/UMTS version: Motorola Milestone 2; GSM/UMTS/CDMA version: Motorola Droid 2 Global) is the fifth phone in Verizon's Droid line. In the U.S., it is available exclusively on Verizon Wireless,Motorola Droid 2 Officially Announced, Pre-Sale Starts Tomorrow on Verizon - , 10 Aug 2010 and was released August 12, 2010 (pre-order sales of the device began August 11). It runs the [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motorola Droid X
The Droid X is a smartphone released by Motorola on July 15, 2010. The smartphone was renamed Motoroi X for its release in Mexico on November 9, 2010. The Droid X runs on the Android operating system, and the latest version supported was 2.3 Gingerbread. It was distributed by Verizon Wireless in the United States and Iusacell in Mexico. Motorola ceased production of the Droid X on March 31, 2011. Less than two months later on May 26, 2011, Motorola released its successor, the Droid X2, which featured an upgraded dual-core processor called the Nvidia Tegra 2. These were the only products from Motorola with the Droid X branding. The product line was succeeded by the Droid Bionic and the Droid Razr. History Motorola released the Droid X on July 15, 2010, at an initial price of US$569, or $199 with a two-year contract commitment. The smartphone was only available to Verizon Wireless customers in the United States and to Iusacell customers in Mexico, where it was released as Moto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
