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Former Disney CEO: ‘I’m going to the Metaverse!’

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Bob Iger, who ran Walt Disney Co. from 2005 to early 2020, has a brand new gig: A seat on the board of a Los Angeles tech firm.

Iger, 71, is becoming a member of (and investing in) Genies Inc., which helps celebrities and different customers create avatars for on-line interactions within the burgeoning Metaverse.

What does that imply? It means Genies creates cartoonish stand-ins for individuals to work together in what Fb’s Mark Zuckerberg and different Silicon Valley bigwigs hope will probably be a virtual-reality-fueled amping up of the web.

The cash for one thing as esoteric as that apparently lies in charging individuals for avatar creations after which charging them once more (and once more) for digital garments and equipment — you realize, getting individuals to shell out actual cash for issues that haven’t any worth in the true world.

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“Think about, you realize, letting somebody purchase a Mickey Mouse avatar and customizing it in a manner that not solely would we by no means enable it earlier than, however it was sort of onerous to do within the bodily world,” Iger advised the Wall Streeet Journal.

Genies signed partnerships with Common Music Group NV and Warner Music Group final 12 months, and reportedly counts Cardi B, Rihanna and Justin Bieber amongst its customers.

I’ve been skeptical about these so-called Metaverse performs. It’s not but clear that billions of individuals worldwide will spend money on VR gear and search to buy and socialize on-line within the type of colourful avatars.

However I’m paying extra consideration to Genies due to Iger. His tenure at Disney was extraordinary, marked by the corporate’s acquisition of Marvel and Star Wars, to not point out many different shrewd enterprise strikes.

If Iger thinks the longer term is in goofy on-line encounters, who am I to say in any other case?

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Los Angeles, Ca

Thieves ransack parked cars at Irvine apartment complex

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Thieves ransack parked cars at Irvine apartment complex

Surveillance video captured two suspects ransacking parked cars at an apartment complex in Irvine.

The incident happened on June 2 at the Metropolis Apartments located at 2100 Sullivan, according to the Irvine Police Department.

Video of the theft showed a man using a key card to open the doors of a Tesla before grabbing the valuables inside and escaping.

Police confirmed the man had stolen a key card from a nearby parked Tesla that belonged to the same family and was able to use that car to unlock the second car.

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The two suspects were also seen stealing tools from a pickup truck that was parked in the garage.

The duo, a man and a woman, escaped with around $9,000 worth of valuables, authorities said. They fled the scene in a white SUV.

Police have released security video of the thieves in hopes someone may recognize them.

Anyone with information on the thefts is asked to call Irvine police at 949-724-7000 or email amena@cityofirvine.org.

Footage of the theft can be seen in the video player above.

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‘Goat patrol’ gets to work in Santa Clarita Valley

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‘Goat patrol’ gets to work in Santa Clarita Valley

The work is easy, the compensation is good, and you get to sleep on the job. 

Such is life for around 400 goats who play an important role in Southern California’s wildfire mitigation strategy.

The Goat Patrol, as its own, was deployed to the Santa Clarita Valley on Friday as part of a demonstration of the county’s readiness for the height of wildfire season. 

“We basically bring them in, they do the work, and we head on out,” Cole Bush of Shepherdess Land & Livestock told KTLA’s Sara Welch. “[The goats] can graze about one acre to two acres a day in places that are inaccessible or unsafe for folks with weed whippers or mowers.”

Hundreds of goats are seen grazing in the Newhall area of Los Angeles County on June 21, 2024. (KTLA)

Friday was the first full day of summer. With temperatures climbing and the July 4th holiday near, officials are concerned about the potential for large, destructive blazes caused by illegal fireworks and other human causes.

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“Santa Clarita’s whole area is a high fire zone, which means the chance of a fire happening … is great,” warned Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. “The city of Santa Clarita puts on an incredible fireworks show. Please take advantage of it. It’s about recognizing that we have to protect our community, but we also have to protect our loved ones.”

A short distance from the site of Friday’s event, fire crews were still working to gain full containment on the 15,000-acre Post Fire outside of Gorman. Two structures were destroyed in the blaze, which broke out Saturday.

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WATCH: Wild apparent Santa Ana road rage assault caught on video

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WATCH: Wild apparent Santa Ana road rage assault caught on video

An apparent road rage incident in Santa Ana was captured on video, showing a man appear to be viciously assaulted.

The video, which was shared to the Citizen app, shows one man punching and kicking another to the ground while several vehicles were stopped at a red light.

The man who appeared to be assaulted can be seen withering in pain on the ground as cars pass by.

An apparent road rage assault was caught on camera in Santa Ana on Thursday, though the cause of the fight remained unknown. (Citizen)

The incident took place at about noon on Thursday in the area of West 1st Street, near Euclid Street. There was no immediate word as to why the incident began or what happened to either person afterward.

Neither of the men have been identified.

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KTLA has reached out to Santa Ana police for more information.

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