Is Sweden going to host the first European Sex Championship, after officially recognising sex as a sport?!
Take a look at the viral claim, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : Sweden Is Hosting First European Sex Championship!
The Internet is abuzz with media outlets claiming that Sweden just recognised sex as a sport, and is going to host the first European Sex Championship on June 8, 2023, in the city of Gothenburg.
The Times of India, one of the most popular and reputable newspapers in India, even claimed that knowledge of the Kamasutra will help determine the winner!
Sweden will soon host the European sex championship
Sweden has formally recognised sex as a sport and will stage its first-ever sex tournament the following week. The contestants in the sex tournament will have daily sexual encounters that might last up to six hours.
A panel of judges will select the winners of the sex competition, and the audience will also weigh in on the choices.The European Sex Championship will begin on June 8 and last for six weeks.
Participants will engage in sexual activity everyday for 45 to one hour depending on the length of their bouts. The couple’s chemistry, their understanding of sex, their degree of endurance, etc. will all be taken into account when deciding who will win in the end.
The Sanskrit text “Kamasutra,” which deals with sex and sexuality, will also be taken into consideration while making decisions, and participants will receive points based on their understanding of it.
Even South Africa’s IOL media outlet reported breathlessly about how the sex matches will last 45 to 60 minutes, and span several weeks!
Sex tournament: Sweden becomes the first country to make sex a sport
While other countries may regard sex as a taboo subject, Sweden has become the first country in the world to register sex as a sport.
It is also revealed that under the supervision of the Swedish Sex Federation, there will be a European Sex Championship scheduled to take place on June 8.
The matches will reportedly last 45 to 60 minutes and span several weeks.
It is revealed that the contestants will be from different European countries and will compete in 16 different disciplines to show their talents.
Radio Mirchi reports that the judges will look at seduction, body massages, exploring erotic zones, prelude, oral sex, penetration, endurance, physical appearance, pose execution, creativity in position changes, and the number of orgasms within a given time to determine who wins.
Truth : Sweden Is Not Hosting First European Sex Championship!
This is another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on social media platforms, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Sweden Did Not Officially Recognise Sex As Sport
Anna Setzman, spokesperson for the Swedish Sports Confederation called the claim that Sweden officially recognised sex as a sport, or that Sweden is hosting the first European Sex Championship as “false”.
The Swedish Sports Confederation has drawn attention to the fact that in some parts of the international media news is currently being spread that a sex federation has become member of the Swedish Sports Confederation. It is false information with the aim of smearing Swedish sports and Sweden. These are vigorously denied.
Fact #2 : Swedish Man Applied For Sex To Be A Sport
All this drama about Sweden officially recognising sex as a sport started with a Swedish man called Dragan Bratic, who owns several strip clubs. He wanted sex to be classified as a sport, and submitted an application to the Swedish Sports Confederation in January 2023.
Dragan Bratic claimed that he had already registered a sex sports organisation called Swedish Sex Federation, and is calling for Sweden to host a sex championship that will last for six weeks.
We are registered, have an organisation number and it’s perfectly okay to train and compete in sex, then it’s a sport like any other.
The incorporation of sexual orientation as a part of sporting tactics will be a ground-breaking development among European countries.
Fact #3 : Swedish Sports Confederation Rejected His Application
The Swedish Sports Confederation confirmed that an individual who claimed there was a sex federation and applied for membership. However, his membership was rejected in May, as the Chief of the Swedish Sports Confederation Björn Eriksson explained:
It [The application] doesn’t meet our requirements and I can inform you that this application has been rejected. We have other things to do.
But don’t lose heart, if you are a sex sports enthusiast. Eriksson left the door open for Bratic to try again:
Due to the fact that the application was incomplete, the applicant association was instructed to supplement the application and thus remedy the deficiencies.
The applicant association has not complied with the order and the deficiencies are such that the application cannot be examined in substance [and] the application must therefore be rejected without examination on the merits.
Fact #4 : Swedish Sex Federation To Continue With Competition
Even though Sweden did not officially declare sex as a sport, and is not going to host the first European Sex Championship, the Swedish Sex Federation is still going to go ahead with its sex competition.
This year they accept e-sport as a sport. Is sitting in front of computer and playing video games more sport than healthy physical activity that prolongs life? We will let you to make your own conclusion.
European Championship in Sex exists, and it is starting on June 8th in Sweden. Is it a sport or not… it is not that important. Euro-vision is also a competition, but it is not a sport.
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Take a look at the viral video of President Macron with his dancing teacher who became his wife, and find out what the facts really are!
Claim : This Was President Macron With His Dancing Teacher / Wife 30 Years Ago!
People are sharing this video which claims to show a young Emmanuel Macron dancing with his teacher, who would end up becoming his current wife, Brigette Macron.
This is a 30 year old Television clip. This video is interesting not only because of the dance sequence, but because, this young boy is the current president of France, & the Lady dancer, his teacher …. is his current wife …Interesting!!! Isn’t it? 🤷🤷♀ 🤷🤷♀ 🤔🤔🤔🤔
Truth : That Was Not President Macron With His Dancing Teacher / Wife!
This is yet another example of FAKE NEWS circulating on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook, and here are the reasons why…
Fact #1 : Brigitte Did Not Teach Macron Dancing
Brigitte Auzière (born Brigitte Marie-Claude Trogneux on 13 April 1953) first met Emmanuel Macron at the La Providence High School in 1998, when she was a 40 year-old teacher, and he was a 15 year-old student and a classmate of her daughter, Laurence.
She was not his dancing teacher, but taught him literature and was in charge of the theatre class that he attended. Brigitte divorced her husband, André-Louis Auzière, in January 2006 and married Macron in October 2007.
Fact #2 : Brigitte + Emmanuel Macron Never Participated In Dance Contests
As far as I can tell – Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron never participated in any dancing contest.
So it would be quite impossible for them to appear in a dance competition 30 years ago.
Fact #3 : Viral Video Was Recorded In 2016
The viral video, which people claimed was Emmanuel Macron dancing with his teacher Brigitte, was not recorded 30 years ago.
It was posted on the SYTYCD (So You Think You Can Dance) YouTube channel on 6 September 2017, but featured on another YouTube channel on 13 July 2016.
Fact #4 : Music Was From 2014
You can also date the video using the music. It was certainly not 30 years old, but a much more recent – Toca Toca (Radio Edit) by Fly Project was published on YouTube on 14 May 2014.
Fact #5 : Viral Video Is Of Jenna Johnson + Jake Monreal
The viral video does not show Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron dancing in a competition.
The two dancers are Jenna Johnson and Jake Monreal, who were competing in “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation” on July 11, 2016.
The YouTube video had the title “So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation – Jenna and Jake’s Ballroom Performance“.
In that video, Jenna and Jake performed a Cha Cha routine which was choreographed by Jean Marc Genereux, to “Toca Toca (Radio Edit)“.
Fact #6 : Jenna Johnson Is A Professional Dancer
Jenna Johnson (born April 12, 1994) is an American professional dance and choreographer, who was one of the mentors in that dance competition.
She competed with Jake Monreal in 2016, and made it to the Top 8 before elimination on August 1, 2016. She returned to the show in Season 14 to mentor Kiki Nyemchek, and made it to Top 4.
Fact #7 : Jake Monreal Is A Professional Dancer
Jake Monreal (born September 24, 2003) is now a 19 year-old professional dancer, who began dancing at the age of 10. At that time the video was recorded, he was just 12 years old.
Jake would become a professional dancer for Dancing with the Stars Junior in 2018.
Fact #8 : Just Another Example Of Fake News About Politicians
This is just another example of fake news created about politicians, and shared on WhatsApp and social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter. Here are some other examples I fact checked:
Please help us FIGHT FAKE NEWS by sharing this fact check article out, and please SUPPORT our work!
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Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did China create these amazing robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland, beating even the Japanese?
Watch the viral clip for yourself, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Claim : China Created Classic Robot Dancers At Shanghai Disneyland!
Here is the video that countless people have been sharing on social media and even on YouTube. It is often paired with a short explanation in (broken) English.
This classic dance is only created in China and broadcast in Shanghai Disneyland. They are not female dance artists, but all robots made in China.
The performance time is only about 5 minutes, but the ticket queue time takes 4 hours. The ticket price is 499 yuan.
It has surpassed Japan in complexity, and its perfect facial expressions. Send this video to everyone to watch. Let us enjoy together…
Truth : They Are NOT Robot Dancers At Shanghai Disneyland!
The agility and grace of these dancers are amazing, but they are NOT robot dancers created by China for Shanghai Disneyland!
The less gullible would point out that it is something you would only expect from professional human dancers, and they would be right.
Fact #1 : That Is A Video Of A CBDF Competition
That was actually a video clip from one of the many competitions organised and broadcast by the CBDF (Chinese Ballroom Dance Federation).
Although we cannot ascertain who the dancers are, you can see the CBDF logo in the background, at 4:03 and 4:38.
No robot made today can match their agility and grace.
Fact #2 : 499 Yuan Was The Entry Price To Shanghai Disneyland
The fake story claimed that the ticket to watch this performance costs 499 Yuan – about US$73 / £55 / RM303. That would be ridiculously exorbitant for a single show.
In truth, that was the cost of an entry ticket to the Shanghai Disneyland when it first opened in February 2016.
Since 6 June 2018, it has been priced at 399 Yuan (off-peak), 575 Yuan (peak) and 665 Yuan (peak holiday).
Fact #3 : Disneyland Does Not Charge Extra To Watch Certain Shows
Anyone who has been to Disneyland knows that the entry fee is pricey. That’s because it covers all rides and shows inside Disneyland.
You only need to pay for food and drinks, and arcade games. Or if you opt to purchase Disney Fastpasses (Fastpass, FastPass+, MaxPass) to bypass long queues at popular rides or shows.
Otherwise, all rides and shows are free to enjoy once you enter Disneyland.
Fact #4 : That Is Not The Only Fake Video Of Chinese Robot Dancers
That is not the only fake video of Chinese robot dancers.
This one circulated earlier, claiming to be of a female robot dancer that handily beats all Japanese made-robots.
In that example, they took the video clip from the 2018 World Dance Sport Federation Championship in Lithuania…
Who Would Create Fake Stories About Robot Dancers?
With China’s aggressive foreign stance in recent years, it is not uncommon to see such fake stories being created and shared.
Some believe it’s part of a concerted attempt to burnish China’s image overseas.
Others believe the many fake stories are being created to drown out the negative coverage of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, and their aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
Whatever the reasons may be, it is our duty as global citizens to stop the proliferation of such fake stories.
Please share this fact check with your friends, so they know the truth!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
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Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Did China create this amazing female dancing robot for a dance show in Shanghai?
Watch the viral video for yourself, and find out what the FACTS really are!
Did China Create This Amazing Dancing Robot?
Here is the video that countless people have been sharing on social media and even on YouTube. It is often paired with a short explanation in (broken) English.
Can u believe that this female dancer is robot ? The dance was held in Shanghai n it lasted only 5 minutes but the queue was 4hrs n cost 499 Yuan!
It has surpassed Japan in complexity, and saw its perfect facial expressions. Send this video to everyone to watch, let us enjoy together…
The Truth About This Amazing Female Dancing Robot
The agility and grace of this female dancing robot, and its facial expressions, are incredible.
The less gullible would point out that it is something you would only expect from a real human being, and they would be right.
Fact #1 : That Is A WDSF Competition Video
That was actually a video clip from the 2018 World Dance Sport Federation Championship in Lithuania.
The initials WDSF (World Dance Sport Federation) can be seen, together with the recording date at the upper left corner of the video.
Fact #2 : The Dance Only Lasted A Minute
The dance in the video only lasted just over a minute, even though the accompanying fake message claimed it lasted for 5 minutes.
Fact #3 : They Are Lithuanian Dance Champions
Both dancers are very human. In fact, they are Lithuanian dance champions Ieva Zukauskaite (female), and Evaldas Sodeika (male).
Fact #4 : 499 Yuan Was Old Entry Price To Shanghai Disneyland
The fake story claimed that the ticket to watch this performance costs 499 Yuan – about US$73 / £55 / RM303. That would be ridiculously exorbitant for a short dance.
In truth, that price was “copied” from the two earlier hoaxes (here and here) about robot dancers at the Shanghai Disneyland.
Even that price was not accurate, because 499 Yuan was the cost of an entry ticket to the Shanghai Disneyland when it first opened in February 2016.
Since 6 June 2018, it has been priced at 399 Yuan (off-peak), 575 Yuan (peak) and 665 Yuan (peak holiday).
Why Would Someone Create This Fake Dancing Robot Story?
With China’s aggressive foreign stance in recent years, it is not uncommon to see such fake stories being created and shared.
Some believe it’s part of a concerted attempt to burnish China’s image overseas.
Others believe the many fake stories are being created to drown out the negative coverage of China’s controversial Belt and Road Initiative, and their aggressive moves in the South China Sea.
Whatever the reasons may be, it is our duty as global citizens to stop the proliferation of such fake stories.
Please share this fact check with your friends, so they know the truth!
Please Support My Work!
Support my work through a bank transfer / PayPal / credit card!
Name : Adrian Wong Bank Transfer : CIMB 7064555917 (Swift Code : CIBBMYKL)
Credit Card / Paypal : https://paypal.me/techarp
Dr. Adrian Wong has been writing about tech and science since 1997, even publishing a book with Prentice Hall called Breaking Through The BIOS Barrier (ISBN 978-0131455368) while in medical school.
He continues to devote countless hours every day writing about tech, medicine and science, in his pursuit of facts in a post-truth world.
Asia has chosen their representatives to the 2019 Imagine Cup World Championships – Team Caeli from India! They also honoured Team RailinNova from China and Team AidUSC from the Philippines. Congratulations!
What Is The Imagine Cup?
Held and sponsored by Microsoft since 2003, the Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition.
Teams of students from across the globe work together with mentors and industry leaders to bring their biggest and boldest ideas to life.
To avoid bias and group-think, the judges evaluated the teams independently, and even used an application to anonymously tabulate the results.
The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Winners
The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Champion : Team Caeli from India
Team Caeli won over the hearts of the judges with their automated Anti-Pollution and Drug delivery mask specifically designed for patients that are suffering from asthma and other chronic respiratory conditions.
Their face mask had breakthrough features that will significantly improve the quality of life for patients with respiratory issues living in polluted areas.
Team Caeli will receive USD15,000 and head to the 2019 Imagine Cup World Championship, which will be held in Seattle in May.
If they win the World Championship, they will win USD100,000 in cash, a USD50,000 Azure grant, and a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella!
1st Runner-Up : Team RailinNova from China
Team RailinNova developed the Rail Component Inspection Robot, which determines and identifies rail defects through multi-sensor monitoring. The solution strives to help railway companies to solve any issues more efficiently, and more economically.
For their excellence, Team RailinNova will receive a USD5,000 cash prize.
2nd Runner-Up : Team AidUSC from the Philippines
Team AidUSC came up with Aqua Check, a water contamination mobile application that enables detection of contamination by taking a photo of a water sample through a microscope. It won them third place, and a USD1,000 cash prize.
Special Mention : The Other 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Teams
Having watched all 12 teams in action, we must point out that all 12 Asian teams were truly exceptional. They impressed us, not only with the depth of knowledge, but also their poise and ability to think out-of-the-box in the conception and execution of their projects.
We also admire how their projects were created with social impact in mind. This gives us great hope in the new generation of entrepreneurs, who are seeking to improve society as a whole. We are all winners with young entrepreneurs of their caliber.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
On the eve of the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia competition in Sydney, we met with the top 12 Asian teams that will compete for a coveted spot in the 2019 Imagine Cup 2019 World Championship!
Let’s take a look at the twelve awesome Asian teams, and see the innovative ideas they will be pitching in the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals!
What Is The Imagine Cup?
Held and sponsored by Microsoft since 2003, the Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition. Teams of students from across the globe work together with mentors and industry leaders to bring their biggest and boldest ideas to life.
The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals
This year, Microsoft organised the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals in Sydney, Australia. Hundreds of teams from 17 Asian countries submitted their projects, but just twelve great teams won a shot to participate in the Asia Regional Finals.
These twelve teams will compete for US$20,000 in prizes on 12 February, but only one team will win the ultimate prize – an all-expenses paid trip to the World Finals in Seattle!
There, the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Champion will participate along the best and brightest teams from across the globe to claim the title of World Champion, US$100,000 cash prize, and the chance to take home the Imagine Cup!
The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finalists
RailinNova
Country : China
Project : Rail Component Inspection Robot
Their Rail Component Inspection Robot (which combines AI and IoT) operates through automatic positioning, and identifies various defects through multi-sensor fusion in order to realise the replacement of workers in a rail inspection project.
Alpha-India
Country : India
Project : Spot – AR Based Product Filtering
Spot allows you to recognise packaged foods and check if it contains a certain ingredient or exhibits a certain character.
If a tourist visits India, he is unaware of what he can eat because packets have information written in a foreign language.
Caeli
Country : India
Project : Caeli – Breathe Freely
Caeli is a smart automated Anti-Pollution and Drug delivery mask specifically designed for Asthmatic and Chronic Respiratory Patients.
Caeli implements breakthrough features to improve the quality of life for respiratory patients living in polluted areas.
RVSAFE
Country : India
Project : RVSAFE
Disasters often strike, when we are least prepared to face them. They leave behind a trail of destruction, adversely affecting human life, and property.
The loss caused by disasters can be significantly reduced with better communication and proper management. Keeping this in mind, we designed RVSAFE, a one-stop solution for effectively handling any kind of disasters (natural or man-made).
CodeSell
Country : Indonesia
Project : Selection – Social Media
Sellution is a software as a service (SaaS) to help SMEs to perform social media marketing, not just in an easy way, but is also effective and efficient.
Sellution’s main features are optimizing marketing content, help finding the right audience, and recommendations.
Fhisherman
Country : Korea
Project : Fishing Phishing
Fishing Phishing by the Fhisherman team from Korea is a smartphone application that uses Machine Learning to analyse call voices in real-time.
It is designed to detect scam calls and warn the users!
SUFECS
Country : Malaysia
Project : Smart Urban Farming with Automated Environmental Controlled Systems (SUFECS)
SUFECS was developed to transform the farming experiences of urban farmer.
With SUFECS, farmers can monitor and control the artificial environment to achieve the most suitable environment for crops.
LookUP
Country : New Zealand
Project : LookUP
It is estimated one in five people in the world are dyslexic. However, most QnA platforms are completely text-based.
LookUP is a medium in which the dyslexic and non-dyslexic communities can effectively collaborate and learn from one another.
AidUSC
Country : The Philippines
Project : Aqua Check – Water Contamination Mobile Application
Aqua Check utilises Microsoft Azure’s Custom Vision to empower anyone to analyse for contamination by taking a photo of a water sample through a microscope.
Using Azure Web and Azure Maps, we are able to map the contamination locations.
InclusiveAR
Country : Singapore
Project : Mobile Augmented Reality Navigation Application for Wheelchair Users
This project aims to develop a mobile application, InclusiveAR, to assist wheelchair users in travelling.
InclusiveAR will map out wheelchair-accessible routes and provide visual guidance to direct wheelchair users to their destinations using AR.
The Straw Hats
Country : Sri Lanka
Project : Mind Probe
Our project aims to help people with disabilities like ALS, DMD, etc. which impair their ability to communicate.
We tap into their brain waves and use that to predict the number they are thinking and use that information to interface with a smartphone.
Maker Playground
Country : Thailand
Project : Maker Playground
Maker Playground is a next-generation IDE for IoT project development from developing device firmware, generating circuit diagram, programming your device, and designing an IoT dashboard all in one software.
See You @ The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia!
Congratulations to the 12 awesome teams!
Later today,, they will present their projects at the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals… and by 5 PM, we will find out who the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Champion will be!
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The top 12 student developer teams from Asia are now in Sydney preparing to present a live demo of their projects. If they impress these five 2019 Imagine Cup Asia judges, they stand to win US$20,000 in prizes, and the coveted spot in the World Championship!
So who are the five 2019 Imagine Cup Asia judges? Let’s find out!
What Is The Imagine Cup?
Held and sponsored by Microsoft since 2003, the Imagine Cup is the world’s premier student technology competition. Teams of students from across the globe work together with mentors and industry leaders to bring their biggest and boldest ideas to life.
The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals
This year, Microsoft organised the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Finals in Sydney, Australia. Hundreds of teams from 17 Asian countries submitted their projects, but just twelve great teams won a shot to participate in the Asia Regional Finals!
These twelve teams will compete for US$20,000 in prizes on 12 February, but only one team will win the ultimate prize – an all-expenses paid trip to the World Finals in Seattle!
There, the 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Regional Champion will participate along the best and brightest teams from across the globe to claim the title of World Champion, US$100,000 cash prize, and the chance to take home the Imagine Cup!
The 2019 Imagine Cup Asia Judges
The four 2019 Imagine Cup Asia judges will review each team’s project pitch and ultimately decide who will move forward to the 2019 World Championship this May for a chance to win USD100,000 plus a mentoring session with Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Rachel Bondi
Marketing & Operations Director Microsoft Australia
As the Marketing and Operations Director, Rachel Bondi is responsible for the development and execution of marketing strategies across the full range of Microsoft’s products and services in Australia.
She also leads the business operations for the local subsidiary including long-term planning initiatives.
Kate Carruthers
Chief Data Officer at UNSW, Author and founder of IoT MAus
Kate Carruthers is Chief Data & Insights Officer for UNSW Sydney and is also an Adjunct Senior Lecturer in the School of Computer Science & Engineering. She is co-founder of several startups, including IoTM, and currently advises a number of startups.
Justin Garrett
Director in Academic Ecosystems at Microsoft
Justin Garrett is Director in Academic Ecosystems at Microsoft. Justin and his team work closely with university faculty, product engineers, and Cloud Advocates to create engaging learning experiences for student developers.
In his spare time, he enjoys coaching his son’s soccer team, volunteering at an animal shelter with his daughter, and is an avid Pacific Northwest skier-mountaineer.
Mike Pesce
Author, Inventor & Futurist
Mark Pesce is a leading futurist, author, entrepreneur, and innovator. He has been at the forefront of the digital revolution for thirty-five years and is a sought-after keynote speaker for major conferences and leadership gatherings.
Emily Rich
Managing Director for Aus/NZ Microsoft for Startups
Emily co-founded Jemsoft, an AI company, which was then acquired in 2017. Emily went on to co-found M8 Ventures, a venture capital fund, whose concentration is working alongside founders to build out robust commercialisation and sustained growth strategies.
Emily joined Microsoft as Managing Director of Startups for ANZ where she is committed to building out startup initiatives for this region for both startups and scaleups.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Photographers worldwide have only 1 more month to join the 2019 Sony World Photography Awards! Find out how to participate in this prestigious photography competition, and show the world what YOU can do!
Join The 2019 Sony World Photography Awards!
The internationally acclaimed Sony World Photography Awards is one of the most important fixtures on the global photographic calendar. Annually, the awards recognizes the best contemporary photography from the past year and celebrate a wide variety of photographic genres.
These include submissions under the Professional, Open and Youth categories. Participation is free and open to everyone all over the world.
To mark the closing deadlines, 3 leading professional artists describe the unique worldwide platform the awards provide and highlight the benefits to their careers, which includes international press exposure, gallery representation and book deals.
Worldwide Exposure And Entering Collection
Acclaimed Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins grew up in Macau (China) and studied Photography and Social Sciences at the University of the Arts and the Royal College of Art, London.
He has represented Macau as part of the 54th Venice Biennale, and his work has been exhibited widely across the world and is held in major museum collections. He achieved success in both the 2009 and 2018 Sony World Photography Awards.
Speaking of this, Martins says: “The media response to the awards was overwhelming, with extensive press and TV coverage all over the world. Apart from providing my work a huge international platform it has also brought my images to the consciousness of collectors, curators, galleries and museums… As a direct result of being part of the Sony World Photography Awards, my work was acquired by several private and public collections.”
Getting Published
British photographer Amanda Harman has worked on a range of commissions, residencies and projects for a variety of public and commercial clients.
Her work has been exhibited widely and is held in museum collections, she is also a Senior Lecturer in Photography at the University of the West of England.
Harman won the Professional Competition’s Still Life category in 2014, and her series A Fluid Landscape was shortlisted in the Professional Landscape category in 2018. She recently received a book publishing deal for the series with Another Place.
Harman states “Taking part in the Sony World Photography Awards has led to great things for me. I feel that being shortlisted for the 2018 awards – and receiving a book deal – for a series that I took with the Sony camera that I won at the 2014 awards has nicely completed a circle. The awards have undoubtedly helped me in my career, and I am excited for the next steps.”
Gallery Representation
2018’s Photographer of the Year, established British artist Alys Tomlinson studied photography at Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design and combines her editorial, design and advertising photography with personal projects.
Tomlinson says that winning the Award has directly led to multiple new opportunities for her work, including being represented by a prestigious fine art photography gallery.
She comments: “Winning Photographer of the Year has lead to great things for me, including being represented by HackelBury Fine Art. It has been fantastic to gain representation by a prestigious contemporary photography gallery and to see my work exhibited with them at fairs across the world. Adding to this, since winning the award I’ve also found a publisher for the series, and my book is due to be published by GOST Books in spring 2019.”
2019 Sony World Photography Awards Deadlines
The 2019 Sony World Photography Awards judges have been tasked to reward the very best contemporary photography from the past year across the following competitions:
January 4, 2019 Deadline
Open – best single image across 10 categories
Youth – photographers aged 12-19, best single image answering a brief
National Award – best single image taken by a local photographer from 60+ countries
January 11, 2019 Deadline
Professional – best series of works across 10 images
The juries are chaired by Mike Trow, editor, photographer, producer (Professional competition) and Rebecca McClelland, Photography Director / Head of Art Production for Saatchi Saatchi & Prodigious (Open, Youth competitions and National Awards).
Prizes include $25,000 (USD) for the Photographer of the Year and $5,000 (USD) for the overall Open competition winner.
All category winners will receive the latest Sony Digital Imaging equipment and the overall competition plus Professional category winners will be flown to London to attend the Sony World Photography Awards dinner on Wednesday April 17, 2019.
The awards’ winning and shortlisted images will once again be exhibited at Somerset House, London from April 18 to May 6 2018.
The exhibition will also include exclusive new works by the recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Photography Award, to be announced March 2019.
Previous recipients include Candida Höfer (2018), Martin Parr (2017), RongRong & inri (2016), Elliot Erwitt (2015) and Mary Ellen Mark (2014).
Future Announcement Dates
February 5, 2019 – Open and Youth shortlists
February 26, 2019 – Open and National Awards winners
March, 2019 – Outstanding Contribution to Photography revealed
April 2, 2019 – Professional and Student shortlists
April 17, 2019 – Photographer of the Year, Professional category winners and overall Open, Youth and Student winners
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participate in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donate to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathon series is coming up! If you are a tech entrepreneur who wants to get some skin in the game, or just want to show the world how smart you are, this is your chance! It’s time to show the world what you can do at the Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons!
Updated @ 2018-09-17 : Added details of the KL hackathon and pictures of the Johor hackathon. Congratulations to the winners!
Updated @ 2018-08-27 :Added pictures of the Sarawak hackathon. Congratulations to the winners!
Updated @ 2018-07-22 : Added the Sarawak hackathon details! Updated the Johor hackathon details!
Updated @ 2018-07-14 :Added the travel expense bonus for the Johor hackathon!
Updated @ 2018-07-04 :Added pictures of the Penang hackathon, and details of the Johor hackathon.
Originally posted @ 2018-06-28
The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathons
The Grand Challenge 2018 Hackathons is a series of four different hackathons, each with a different challenge. So you will have not one, but up to four chances to prove your worth!
The Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons are backed by MDEC and the Penang state government
Anyone can join the Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons, and registration is FREE!
Every hackathon will last 3 days, and have RM 15,000 worth of prizes!
A panel of judges from various backgrounds will select the winners based on their creativity, marketability, uniqueness and impact.
How To Join The Grand Challenge 2018
You can sign up for one, or ALL of the four Grand Challenge 2018 hackathons by :
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Problem Statement : Outdoor billboards are one of the biggest advertisement platforms in Malaysia. Unfortunately, the tracking and monitoring process for the advertisements are really time consuming and hard with traditional method.
Outdoor billboard owners should get permit from city councils to own such billboards. They have to pay permit fee for each time they change advertisements on the billboards too.
For an example, let’s say ABC company owns a billboard in Georgetown. They place an advertisement for Pepsi for 3 months. They need to approach the city council and get permit for the advertisement and specify the duration of advertisement will be displayed. Assuming after the 3 months, they change to Colgate advertisement, they need to approach the city council again to obtain for new permit. The challenge here is, the billboard owners do not approach the city council to get new permits.
This is causing loss in revenue for city councils. Besides city councils can’t review the content of these advertisements to make sure they can be displayed in public places.
Specifications : Proposed idea must utilize Internet of Things (IoT) based solution.
Track the location of the billboards
Track the duration of the advertisements
Create alerts in case of advertisement changes and due dates
Create reports for City councils
Alert on defaulters
Justification : Creating IoT based solutions for Outdoor billboards will monitor the content of the advertisement to make sure they are appropriate for public display.
Such monitoring system will force the billboard owners to apply for appropriate permits which will generate income for city councils.
Potential Stakeholders : City councils
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Sarawak Grand Challenge 2018 Details
Theme : Smart Logbook & Hiker Tracking
Location : Kuching, Sarawak
Date : 24th to 26th August 2018
Problem Statement : Every year hundreds of thousands of hikers enter our forests and return without any problems but a small amount of them on the other hand encounter into problems such as:
Injury in forest
Go off the track
Missing
Unable to contact the hiking station in case of emergency
Report a crime while in jungle
Receive information/ update from forestry etc.
Challenge : The Grand Challenge Kuching participants should develop solutions to :
Help the hikers to navigate through the jungle
Enable the hikers to communicate with their base station
Report crime or send a distress signal with coordinates
Receive updates or information from the Forestry Department
The following data sets will be prepared and provided by the organisers :
Forest map (sample)
Terrain details (sample)
Trekking routes
Forestry contact information
Other relevant data
Participants that require additional data sets should make their requests by 10 August 2018.
Specifications : The solution should be cost-effective, and easy to implement, with a focus on Internet of Things (IoT), with solutions based on Bluetooth, LoRA, WiFi, Zigbee, LoRAWAN technologies, etc.
Requirements : Participants must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 36 hours, with a focus on :
Functionality and usability
Marketing strategies and commercial angle
Business model for the product developed
Teams should comprise of 3-5 members with tech and/or business backgrounds. Organizers will not provide any hardware, so if any are required, participants should prepare and bring their own hardware.
Potential Stakeholders : The Malaysian Forestry Department, National Parks, Regional Forestry Departments.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
Johor Grand Challenge 2018 Details
Theme : Smart Tourism
Location : IskandarSpace, Unit 02-02, Level 2, CIMB Leadership Academy, No. 3, Jalan Medini Utara 1, Medini Iskandar, 79200 Iskandar Puteri, Johor
Date : 7th to 9th September 2018
Challenge : Develop solutions to promote Iskandar Puteri attractions, enhance visitor experience, provide information about local attractions, encourage visitors to explore them, promote local businesses and events. Participants should focus their MVP to the Iskandar Puteri area.
The data set will be prepared and provided by Iskandar Investment Berhad, which would include :
Location map
Local attractions
Promotions
Other relevant data
Participants that require additional data sets should make their requests by 10 August 2018.
Specifications : Solutions developed must make use of one of these technologies :
Internet of Things
Augmented Reality or Virtual Reality
Artificial Intelligence
Big Data Analytics
Requirements : Participants must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 36 hours, with a focus on :
Functionality and usability
Marketing strategies and commercial angle
Business model for the product developed
Teams should comprise of 3-5 members with tech and/or business backgrounds. They must stay in Iskandar Space during the hackathon but are allowed to explore the area to gather details, pictures or other necessary information.
Stakeholders : Iskandar Investment Berhad and Iskandar Puteri
Theme : Occupancy Sensors For Parking Lots + Garage Lighting System
Location : KnowledgeCom, 3 Two Square, Petaling Jaya
Date : 21st to 23rd September 2018
Problem Statement : First Solar is a photovoltaic manufacturer of ridge thin film modules (solar panels), and a provider of utility-scale PV power plants and supporting services.
The scope for this hackathon is narrowed down to office parking lots where all lights need to be dimmed whenever there is no car or movement. However, the lights need to automatically brighten when movement is observed, and an alert notification sent out.
Specifications : In addition to the automatic dimming and brightening of the lights, the system needs to generate two specific reports :
Report on each detected movement, which sends a distress signal with vehicle geo-location, speed, and photo with registration number, etc.
Report on monthly energy usage and the amount of energy saved.
Participants must develop a solution that is cost effective and easy to implement. Organisers will not provide any hardware, so participants should prepare and bring their own hardware.
Requirements : Participants must create a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) within 36 hours, with a focus on :
Functionality and usability
Marketing strategies and commercial angle
Business model for the product developed
Teams should comprise of 3-5 members with tech and/or business backgrounds. They must stay in KnowledgeCom during the hackathon.
Data Set : The data set will be prepared and provided by the organisers, and include :
Energy consumption calculator (kWh sample)
First Solar contact information
Other relevant data
Potential Stakeholders : First Solar Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
If you like our work, you can help support our work by visiting our sponsors, participating in the Tech ARP Forums, or even donating to our fund. Any help you can render is greatly appreciated!
