Latest news with #Souza
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
July 4th fireworks on TV: Bigger NYC show to fire 80,000 shells around Brooklyn Bridge
Even TV events with built-in dramatic explosions get a bigger boom with a returning star. NBC's 49th annual Macy's 4th of July Fireworks viewing party on July 4 (8 ET/PT, and streaming live on Peacock) brings the holiday heat with the return of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge as a stunning spectacle backdrop for the first time since 2019. The famed 142-year-old suspension bridge with the telltale Gothic columns will undergo a digital facelift for its pyrotechnical closeup of 80,000 shells, following a concert hosted by Ariana DeBose featuring the Jonas Brothers, Trisha Yearwood, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer, Ava Max and Eric Church. 'The Brooklyn Bridge absolutely stars in the concert and in the fireworks shot off four barges and from various points," says executive producer Will Coss, adding the bridge and columns will be enhanced digitally by "bespoke" projection mapping, which "will bring these static columns to life for the first time." New Yorkers can view the fireworks from several vantage points in the city. But TV viewers get up close to the biggest televised Independence Day fireworks show. Here's what to know about Macy's 4th of July Fireworks. The fireworks are desert-tested, 'Oppenheimer'-style Coss calls the fireworks, a 25-minute "beautifully choreographed dance" to a musical score produced by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and James Poyser, accompanied by a live performance from DeBose. Gary Souza, the show's pyrotechnic designer for the last 40 years, says he has "literally shopped around the world" for this year's cutting-edge "three-dimensional" display, setting explosions as high as 1,000 feet in the air and firing horizontally from the 1,600-foot main bridge span over the East River. The bridge will be part of each fireworks burst, which will feature eight to 10 effects, many on the bridge itself. "There will be helixes, waves, and snakes that will progress and intertwine almost like a DNA molecule from bridge tower to tower," says Souza. Souza traveled to his ancestral country of Portugal to import a shimmering bridge waterfall display. The product arrived a day before Souza's June test of the show's key explosive elements in California's Mojave Desert, an annual event that resembles the "Oppenheimer" test for fireworks, where the full arsenal can be safely inspected. "They really over-delivered on this waterfall," Souza promises. "It's going to open up like a shimmering curtain in the bridge center all the way across the two towers for 60 seconds and will be one of those 'Oh My Gosh.' moments." 2025 show has more fireworks, fewer drones, still one helicopter Drones have soared into prominence in the world of fireworks displays, including previous Macy's July 4th celebrations. The 2023 event featured a 500-drone light show, and in 2024, hundreds of "pyro-drones" – equipped to mimic the visual effects of fireworks – took center stage in the spectacle on the Hudson River. However, the 2025 Macy's show is "taking a break" from show drones, says Coss, focusing the technological highlights on the bridge mapping. But drone cameras will get "up close and personal to the pyrotechnics," says Coss, supplementing dozens of cameras set in multiple locations to catch the fireworks, along with awed spectators. Still, the best TV camera shots still come from the overhead helicopter, where a high-definition onboard camera captures 'these beautiful, aerial-cinematic shots showing the city throughout the show's entirety," says Coss. Planning has been underway since last year's show. The final months included the desert test and a detailed digital rendering of the show, allowing producers to "pre-visualize" the most dramatic elements and prepare the cameras. One can't-miss show moment will feature eight unique fireworks shells individually shot off barges, including one of Souza's favorites: The Morning Glory. "It's called Morning Glory, but it looks like a jellyfish that bursts into popcorn with red tentacles," says Souza. "That's one you have to look for." The 'Golden Mile' sets up the grand finale The "Golden Mile" is a fireworks display shot from 38 positions over the East River with computer precision. That includes a 1,500-ft, gold-shimmering waterfall cascade spanning the bridge, setting up the grand finale of wall-to-wall fireworks. 'It's going to be a patriotic ending, visceral and heart-thumping with crackling reports at the end," says Souza. "We're planning on delivering a highly entertaining, patriotic show that celebrates America's birthday while over-delivering on the spectacle." Who is performing at the Macy's fireworks? The Macy's concert is hosted by Ariana DeBose featuring the Jonas Brothers, Trisha Yearwood, Lenny Kravitz, Keke Palmer, Ava Max and Eric Church. The fireworks' musical score was produced by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and James Poyser, accompanied by a live performance from DeBose. How to watch the Macy's fireworks and what time? The Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show airs on NBC at 8 ET/PT (streaming live on Peacock) with the fireworks beginning at 9:25 ET/PT. There will be an hour-long NBC encore presentation at 10 ET/PT. Telemundo's telecast will air at 9 ET/PT.
USA Today
26-06-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
How AI and cloud technology are reengineering Formula One racing
As you watch your favorite F1 drivers tear around the MSC Cruises Austrian GP this weekend — or maybe catch the much-hyped Hollywood flick starring Brad Pitt — know that technology is helping to drive the performance of Formula One racing. To help collect, analyze and deliver valuable insights to racing teams, every F1 car houses about 300 sensors, which generate an incredible 1.1 million telemetry data points per second, transmitted from the cars to the pits, in real-time. For the past seven years, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been a key technology partner of the Formula One organization, leveraging its AI and cloud platforms to help process and interpret all this data from F1 vehicles. Not bad for a 75-year-old sport that originally relied solely upon one tool for decades: a stopwatch. 'Today, there's copious amounts of data collected, and so artificial intelligence and machine learning are key to make sense of it all,' explains Julie Souza, who leads AWS for sports. 'Shaving off milliseconds can make a huge difference on the track, such as finding you're over-rotating a particular lug nut, which may cause instability in the engine; and so a team like Scuderia Ferrari (an official AWS team partner since 2021) can glean very useful information to help with race strategy that was previously unmeasurable,' adds Souza. 'That's just one small example of the incredible amount of data analyzed at high speeds.' Interestingly, with Formula One, aerodynamics data analysis has even yielded changes in car design. Called 'Computational Fluid Dynamics,' simulations ran in the cloud analyze fluid flow around the car, and found that trailing cars required much more force to overtake. And so, this data led to changes in body design in 2022 that saw more than 30 percent more overtakes, much to the delight of F1 fans, no doubt. Yours truly had a small taste of race car data collection and analytics, as I recently drove a Ferrari 296 GTB on a track in Fiorano, Italy, ahead of catching an F1 Grand Prix practice race. An engineer walked me through my telemetry data following several laps. How'd I do? I'll stick to writing articles. Data drives fan engagement, too Sports and racing fans, it seems, are hungry for more information. 'Over the past few years, we've seen fans are more connected and engaged to their favorite sports when there is more data and deep insights, which helps them better understand and appreciate what they're watching,' says Souza. Technology allows fans to curate their own viewing experience in a way that's highly personal to them,' says Souza. 'What's interesting to me may not be relevant to you, and so data is unlocking true personalization, for a more engaging experience.' For example, Souza says today's sports broadcasts and apps can be highly customized — and will be even more so in the near future. 'You can choose different angles and audio feeds, maybe buy tickets to an upcoming game or a jersey of your favorite player, follow a fantasy team or place a bet, chat with friends, or have Uber Eats deliver you something 20 minutes into a game.' This personalization is paying off, according to Souza, highlighting the success of the partnership with Bundesliga that has returned a 68 percent increase in fan engagement on its data-heavy app, and 60 percent longer session times. 'I always say if you feel smart about what you're watching, you'll probably watch more of it.' AWS has partnerships with other sports leagues, such as the NHL, NFL, PGA Tour and Germany's Bundesliga soccer league. Amazon says soccer matches produce 3.6 million points of data per game. Tech for broadcasters Not only has technology changed how Formula One delivers F1 races to fans — streaming over various platforms and often with interactive elements, such as selecting specific camera views — it also helps broadcasters deliver a richer experience for viewers. 'Tracks can be six kilometers in length, and so the action is happening in a wide expanse and at the same time, and so data collected and packaged by AWS helps producers tell the story about what's going on,' says Adrian De Luca, Director of Cloud Acceleration at AWS, for Asia Pacific and Japan. Car telemetry can also inform broadcast producers on what may happen next, so they can prep videos and graphics for viewers. 'Data can be predictive, such as when an overtake might be expected,' adds De Luca. 'Data is collected as the cars are going by, via beacons placed every 150 to 200 meters or so, that collect telemetry of all 20 cars, which is then sent to F1's headquarters in Biggin Hill.' De Luca says more than 500 terabytes of data is collected each race weekend. Tech is helping broadcasters in other ways. NHL and AWS delivered the first cloud-based broadcast in March 2024, delivering high-quality and personalized live games with minimum onsite gear, and cutting CO2 emissions by more than 2 metric tonnes. Tech can also help unlock previously unviewed coverage. While recorded, Souza says only 15 percent of PGA Tour's 30,000-plus shots during a tournament are televised. A customized app can deliver the remaining 85 percent, and with AI-produced commentary in multiple languages. For safety's sake, too Sensors, coupled with AI and machine learning and cloud processing, is also being leveraged for greater safety of players. In the NFL, where about 500 million points of data is collected per week, data helps identify players that are at risk of injury, and helps coaches and owners make impactful changes. This resulted in 700 fewer missed games in this last season, says Souza. 'It's a win-win-win, as top players want to be on the field, as do the team owners who spent a lot of money on them, and fans want to see their favorite players.' Another case for data analysis in the NFL: Instead of all players wearing the same helmets, sensors identified that players in different positions were hit differently. As a result, today there are eight position helmet shapes to reduce the odds of head injuries, such as concussions. Whether it's crossing the endzone or the finish line, tech is unlocking deeper experiences for athletes, fans and broadcasters alike.
ITV News
16-06-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Obama's White House photographer Pete Souza says Trump pictures look like a 'reality show'
If you don't know Pete Souza, you'd probably recognise his work. For eight years, he was Barack Obama's chief White House photographer, capturing everything from historic meetings with world leaders to intimate moments between the president and his family. He was given unprecedented access behind the scenes. President Trump. 'The photographs from the current administration look like they're from the set of a reality TV show," he told the ITV News podcast Talking Politics. 'You don't get any real sense of Trump's actual humanity, how he relates to people. It's all 'let's bring the press corps in for an entire meeting' and he's just playing to the cameras. 'There's not a single picture of Trump meeting with his national security team in the Situation Room. There's not a single picture of him on the phone with Vladimir Putin, who we are essentially at war against in Ukraine. "Why is that? Are these photographs not being taken, or is the White House just refusing to post them?' Mr Souza, who built up an Instagram following of millions by posting photographs from the Obama years as a way of criticising the actions of President Trump during his first term, says this content gap matters for history. 'All of the photographs that I took during the Reagan and Obama administrations, every single photograph is now at the National Archives, the purpose of which is there is a visual record of history of those administrations,' he said. 'So I worry that we're not going to have that kind of record with the Trump administration.' One significant departure from the traditional photography used in previous administrations has been the Trump team's use of AI imagery. Since he took office, the White House account has posted pictures of him as a Star Wars Jedi and the Pope, while the president shared a viral 'Trump Gaza' AI video. For Mr Souza, such moves damage trust. 'To me, if you're going to do that, then you've lost all credibility in what you're posting. Once you post fake images - AI or photoshopped images - then I think you've lost all credibility and I would not lend credence or feel that any photograph that the Trump administration posts is real, because if they've done it before they can do it again.' According to Mr Souza, there has only been one 'real' image of Mr Trump's presidency so far. That was of him deep in conversation with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy inside St Peter's Basilica, shortly before the funeral of Pope Francis. It's thought the photo was taken by a member of Mr Zelenskyy's team. 'I thought it was great that this person, whoever he or she is, was smart enough to make an iPhone picture of that scene because it was remarkable,' said Mr Souza. 'Those are the kind of images we're missing from this administration. I hope that more of them exist. 'If there is more of that, then we don't see it. Why is that? I don't know.' During the eight years of the Obama presidency, Mr Souza took nearly two million photos - whether it was a tense scene, a deeply personal moment or one of pure joy. For him, there were no strict rules on how to behave around the president - just 'common sense'. 'I'll give you an example,' he told Talking Politics USA. 'I was very cognisant that he had two young girls in the White House. My job was to document him as a dad and as a husband. 'I have this one picture of him out on a swing set with his older daughter, Malia. I went outside with him as he sat on the swing set and was having a private conversation with Malia about her day at school. 'It was a nice picture and I made several frames of that. But then I backed away. I didn't need to be lurking the entire time; I wanted to give him some privacy. 'He didn't ask me to back away, it just seemed like it was the right thing to do.' Mr Souza says he and the former president are still in touch and meet up 'maybe a couple of times a year'. 'We don't talk politics at all,' he said. 'We talk about our families.' When asked if Obama has a favourite photo from his presidency, Mr Souza said: 'I think his favourites are the ones with his girls, no question." 'He did like the Spiderman photo of the little kid zapping him into a spider's web just outside the Oval Office. I remember when we hung that on the walls of the West Wing and he said that was his favourite photograph - until we put one up of him with his daughters. Those were always his favourites.' From Westminster to Washington DC - our political experts are across all the latest key talking points. Listen to the latest episode below...
Japan Today
07-06-2025
- Japan Today
Japanese police find 74 packets of cocaine inside foreign traveler complaining of stomach pains
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 In April, customs officials at Osaka's Kansai International Airport learned that a woman who was trying to enter Japan had crammed a sock into the crotch of her clothing. Apparently the bulge wasn't immediately visually apparent, but an officer noticed that the traveler, a 35-year-old Brazilian woman named Jessica Ramos de Souza, looked unusually tense while she was going through the standard customs process. She was then flagged for a more comprehensive examination of her luggage and person, which turned up 13 packets of cocaine, including a number that Souza had hidden inside the sock that she'd hidden inside her pants. At some point in the examination, Souza began to complain of stomach pains, so she was taken to a hospital for a medical examination, and X-rays quickly determined the source of her discomfort: 74 more packets of cocaine, in condom-like encasings, which she'd swallowed, presumably in hopes of sticking to a timetable in which she would have passed through customs and been out of the airport quickly enough to get to a secluded space and expel the packets from her body before the discomfort became unbearable. In total, Souza had 675.5 grams of cocaine on/in her when she entered Japan. Souza has been placed under arrest on charges of violating Japan's narcotics control law. She has admitted to smuggling the cocaine, but says that she had no intention of selling it, a claim which may or may not hold up as the authorities continue to investigate the original source of the drugs and potential accomplices. This is a good spot to remind everyone that Japan's criminal justice system does not fool around when it comes to drugs, and Souza's arrest not becoming public knowledge until more than a month after the incident means that anyone caught smuggling is likely to be sitting in lockup for a very long time even if they somehow manage to avoid going to trial. Source: Asahi ABC News via Yahoo! Japan News, NHK News Web Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Japanese police investigate report of foreigner spreading white powder on street in Hyogo -- Japanese police ask drunk people to please stop sleeping in the middle of the street -- Salaryman gives drunk female coworker a ride home, gets beaten into unconsciousness for it External Link © SoraNews24
SoraNews24
06-06-2025
- SoraNews24
Japanese police find 74 packets of cocaine inside foreign traveler complaining of stomach pains
Yeah, that'll cause digestive and legal problems for you. Usually if you hear about someone stuffing a sock down the front of their pants, it's a guy wanting his package to be perceived as more prodigious than it really is. In April, though, customs officials at Osaka's Kansai International Airport learned that a woman who was trying to enter Japan had crammed a sock into the crotch of her clothing. Apparently the bulge wasn't immediately visually apparent, but an officer noticed that the traveler, a 35-year-old Brazilian woman named Jessica Ramos de Souza, looked unusually tense while she was going through the standard customs process. She was then flagged for a more comprehensive examination of her luggage and person, which turned up 13 packets of cocaine, including a number that Souza had hidden inside the sock that she'd hidden inside her pants. At some point in the examination, Souza began to complain of stomach pains, so she was taken to a hospital for a medical examination, and X-rays quickly determined the source of her discomfort: 74 more packets of cocaine, in condom-like encasings, which she'd swallowed, presumably in hopes of sticking to a timetable in which she would have passed through customs and been out of the airport quickly enough to get to a secluded space and expel the packets from her body before the discomfort became unbearable. In total, Souza had 675.5 grams of cocaine on/in her when she entered Japan. Souza has been placed under arrest on charges of violating Japan's narcotics control act. She has admitted to smuggling the cocaine, but says that she had no intention of selling it, a claim which may or may not hold up as the authorities continue to investigate the original source of the drugs and potential accomplices. It's probably a pretty safe assumption that SoraNews24 readers and international drug mules are two demographics with minimal overlap, but all the same, this is a good spot to remind everyone that Japan's criminal justice system does not fool around when it comes to drugs, and Souza's arrest not becoming public knowledge until more than a month after the incident means that anyone caught smuggling is likely to be sitting in lockup for a very long time even if they somehow manage to avoid going to trial. Source: Asahi ABC News via Yahoo! Japan News, NHK News Web Top image: Pakutaso ● Want to hear about SoraNews24's latest articles as soon as they're published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
