It’s no secret that a paramount perk of a remote position is the ability to work from anywhere. For many, it’s an opportunity to daydream about how to truly take full advantage and work from somewhere uniquely inspiring and convenient to get to. Central Washington’s Columbia River Basin is that haven for so many – a destination defined by stunning scenery and a dynamic lifestyle ready to be enjoyed the minute we’re done for the day. Read moreCrescent Ridge is Your Home Base for Central Washington Adventure
As the tech world remained riveted by the OpenAI soap opera, the real artificial intelligence money machine was demonstrating the fine art of printing greenbacks. That would be Nvidia, which reported on Tuesday that its revenue soared 206% in the October quarter, to $18.1 billion from $5.9 billion a year earlier. That’s what happens when you essentially corner the market for the specialized AI chips that are a must-have commodity for tech firms right now. And this growth is continuing. Nvidia projected that revenue would soar to $20 billion in the January quarter, which would be an increase of 230% over the year-earlier number of $6.05 billion.
Just to give a sense of how much Nvidia’s business has mushroomed in the past couple of years, that projection implies Nvidia’s full fiscal year revenue will be around $59 billion, more than its combined revenue for the previous two fiscal years. Notably, Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress told analysts the fourth-quarter projection would have been higher if the Biden administration hadn’t restricted chip sales to China! In other words, Nvidia is making bank right now, but it could be doing even better. That wrinkle likely explains why the stock—which is up 242% so far this year—inched down a little after hours. (For more on Nvidia’s results, see here.)
LAKE COEUR d’ALENE, Idaho – Every year our social media feeds are flooded with beautiful pictures of eagles on Lake Coeur d’Alene.
Dozens of photographers capturing the stunning creature, but one local photographer is raising concerns over how some of the photos are taken.
“If we don’t respect them, we don’t treat them properly, they’re not going to be out here, they’re not going to want to hangout and let everyone be able to witness their beauty and greatness,” Hamilton said.
Peter Hamilton said he has seen photographers and bait the eagles. People are picking up fish and throwing them into the lake, prompting a picture perfect shot of the bird, he said.
“People will end up putting their camera in a position where they see the eagle. They’ll grab the fish, throw the fish into the water, which is a form of baiting,” Hamilton said.
Hamilton tells NonStop Local that this is unethical.
“There are lots of negative consequences not only for the individual animal but also at the population level,” Idaho Fish and Game Conservation Officer, Jacob Berl, said.
There could also be consequences for you if you kill game fish and use them as bait to lure eagles.
“It’s a citable offense. In addition to the fact that it could be an illegal activity for them to do it, we just encourage folks to not do that,” Berl said.
Berl says it also disrupts the bird’s natural behavior and could even transmit diseases.
Meanwhile, as Hamilton continues to capture these breathtaking photos, he has this message – “Be patient, wait, hang out. Don’t cause them any sort of added stress. It’s already stressful enough for them. Let them be who they want to be,” Hamilton said.
DAVIS — November is Native American Heritage Month, and the community of Davis is highlighting the indigenous culture through art exhibits and cooking classes.
From artwork to jewelry to food, the stories of the indigenous people of California can be realized through many different mediums.
“This is the teaching kitchen here at the co-op, we teach a lot of folks how to do things, and we also teach ourselves,” Christine Ciganovich said.
Ciganovich is a marketing specialist who hosts cooking classes through the Davis Food Co-Op.
“We learn so much and get to experience so much through other foods and cultures,” she said.
This month, she is focusing on cooking with native North American ingredients.
“Wild rice is a native North American plant, and it has a different flavor profile,” she said. “It’s nuttier. It’s chewier. You also have that dark color so you’re getting a different variety of nutrients, as well.”
From grains and nuts to native North American fruits, like cranberries, many of these items are staples around the Thanksgiving table.
“The acorn not only takes care of the four-legged but the two-legged,” Amezcua Porras of the Davis International House said. “It’s not only used as food, it’s used as medicine, used as regalia.”
At the Davis International House, the community was invited to participate in a cooking and conversations demonstration with indigenous cultural practitioners Monique Sonoquie and U’ilani Moore-Wesely.
Food provided by the “aunties,” as they are referred to, along with art and jewelry created by Yaqui artist Stan Padilla facilitate both peace and wisdom of generations of indigenous people from around the region.
“It holds so many stories for the California indigenous peoples and tribes fighting so hard through policy work, through justice work, and reminds us that they are still here, and we are still here as relatives,” Porras said.
Padilla’s work will be on display at the Davis International House through December. The UC Davis Co-Op is holding several cooking classes through the holiday season.
During the pandemic, Baz Luhrmann decided to revisit his 2008 epic “Australia,” a film that already stressed bladders at 165 minutes. (I don’t think anyone left the film hoping it was longer.) He not only wanted to bring back the original downer ending that was focus-grouped out after bad test screenings, but he wanted to expand on a few of the ideas about the Indigenous people of the title country. The result is “Faraway Downs,” a six-part limited series that takes the whole of “Australia” and adds back some deleted scenes, new music, and well-timed episode breaks that almost feel like they were there all along. (Does Luhrmann write six-act screenplays?) The project is an interesting one in that “Faraway Downs” still has many of the same issues as “Australia,” but the new construction not only makes some of them more tolerable but reminds one how generally awful the form looks now. With so much blandly composed, digitally-shot television that barely considers its aesthetic, there’s something kind of startling about watching a streaming series that looks like a film. Because it is.
“Faraway Downs” opens with a crawl that informs us about the treatment of Indigenous children in Australia as well as what would happen to part of the region as the Japanese continued their assault after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It’s not only an acknowledgment that what’s unfolding is on land formed by tragedy but a direct form of foreshadowing that fits Luhrmann’s old-fashioned cinematic sensibility. All the romance that’s about to follow? Tragedy is around the corner.
Luhrmann’s riff on “Gone with the Wind” and “The African Queen” opens in September 1939 with the introduction of Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman), whose husband is far away at their massive cattle ranch in Australia that gives the show its new title. She heads there to obtain a divorce from the philanderer, only to find that he’s dead, leaving her in charge of the estate. Of course, the reluctant foreigner is drawn to the land and its people, especially the charming Nullah (Brandon Walters) and the charismatic Drover (Hugh Jackman). The Kidman/Jackman dynamic works in an old-fashioned sense. Of course, Ashley will eventually be drawn to Drover’s gruff exterior. And, of course, Drover will fall for the princess from a far-off land.
However, the old-fashioned aspects of “Faraway Downs” bring with them some anachronistic storytelling elements, with Luhrmann too often portraying Nullah and the other Indigenous people in a magical light. His efforts to improve that aspect here are notable from the beginning, including opening credits designed by Indigenous artists, a new theme from Budjerah, and a new song by Anpuru. Luhrmann said to The Guardian that he wanted to “work with all these young emerging musical artists and graphic artists,” and that’s admirable, even if some of the filmmaking still treats Nullah more like a catalyst for the English aristocrat’s salvation than an actual character himself. Luhrmann reportedly wanted to flip the script of “Gone with the Wind” and tell this story from a First Nations child’s point of view. He doesn’t quite get there, even in this extended edition, but he does come closer than before.
The new construction of “Faraway Downs” is interesting because it’s almost like it could have been designed as a series all along. Hulu allowed Luhrmann to cut the film into six chapters of wildly divergent lengths, with the open and close landing around 45-50 minutes and a pair in between clocking in under 30 minutes. In total, the series runs around 205 minutes once you excise the credits in each episode, so it’s notably longer than the film (about 40 minutes). Still, you never feel the awkward insertion of deleted scenes like in other projects. It’s pretty seamless.
It’s also just pretty. Maybe I’m just exhausted by the low lighting of the content algorithm, but “Faraway Downs” simply looks better than most modern TV. Mandy Walker (who was Oscar-nominated for “Elvis”) nails the romantic landscapes needed for a film like this one. If “Faraway Downs” doesn’t quite reclaim a film from the dustbin of history, it does remind one how dusty most television still allows itself to look.
The entire series was screened for review. On Hulu now.
Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.
Rated NR
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.
comments powered by Disqus
