Tag Archives: sound

Volkswagen

Sound in the Garden: Volkswagen partners with concert series at Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin

The Volkswagen Group is pleased to support the concert series called “Sound in the Garden”. These events will take place in the Sculpture Garden of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin. The series will run until September 2023 and includes four free concerts. This program extends the Volkswagen Group ART4ALL visitor program, which provides free access to exhibitions at Neue Nationalgalerie.

Yesterday, MARYAM.fyi, a German-Iranian musician, performed the first concert of the series. She presented her music, which is influenced by indie pop elements.

“Sound in the Garden” is part of the Volkswagen Group ART4ALL visitor program, developed in collaboration with Volkswagen and Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin. This program aims to make culture and the arts accessible to a large audience. Every Thursday between 4 and 8 p.m., visitors can enjoy free access to Neue Nationalgalerie’s exhibitions and collections.

This year’s edition of “Sound in the Garden” marks the return of this concert series. In 2022, museum director Klaus Biesenbach launched the live program, inspired by the “Jazz in the Garden” concerts held at Neue Nationalgalerie in the 1970s and 1980s. The current program is supported by Volkswagen Group Fellow Jorgina Stamogianni.

Klaus Biesenbach, Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie in Berlin, said, “With ‘Summer in the Garden,’ I would like to continue to create an inspiring concert culture in the sculpture gardens of the Neue Nationalgalerie Berlin and the Museum of Modern Art. The wonderful atmosphere at the opening event last night confirmed our purpose. With Volkswagen as our partner, we can offer free admission to this program, in line with the motto ‘Culture for All’.”

Benita von Maltzahn, Director Global Cultural Engagement at Volkswagen Group, said, “The Berlin home of Neue Nationalgalerie is a truly unique museum location. Since its reopening, it has become even more fascinating to explore the architecture and exhibitions. Through our partnership with Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, we are committed to enabling the widest possible audience to engage with culture and the arts. Supporting the concerts in the Sculpture Garden allows guests to enjoy music and visit the museum for free as part of the Volkswagen Group ART4ALL program. We want even more people to feel welcome to experience modern art along with new sounds.”

The Volkswagen Group has a long-standing partnership with Nationalgalerie – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, highlighting its commitment to being a trusted partner in cultural projects and institutions. Through this partnership, Volkswagen helps its partners reach a large audience with creative works and promotes the ideas and perspectives of a wide range of artists. Bringing art and people together fosters an open-minded and far-reaching exchange of views, which is crucial for meaningful discussions and mutual understanding in our society.

For more information about “Sound in the Garden” and specific concert details, please visit: https://www.smb.museum/en/events/event-series/sound-in-the-garden-2023/

Gaming, News

Sony Accidentally Exposes the Budgets of Major PlayStation Games

Sony has inadvertently disclosed the financial impact that Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard would have on its business. The company filed paperwork with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to demonstrate how the acquisition would affect Sony’s finances. The argument was that Sony would experience significant revenue declines as a result of the popular “Call of Duty” franchise becoming an Xbox exclusive.

An analysis of the redacted paperwork by The Verge revealed that “Call of Duty” games generated approximately $800 million for PlayStation in the United States in 2021. While the exact global figure cannot be confirmed, the document suggests that the franchise could be worth over $1.5 billion worldwide for PlayStation. Furthermore, the document appears to disclose that the value of the franchise itself for Sony is $13.9 billion or more.

Currently, only one more “Call of Duty” game is planned to be released on both PlayStation and Xbox, and Sony claims that one million players exclusively play the franchise’s releases. The future of the hearing is uncertain since the paperwork and related exhibits were removed after their discovery.

Cars

2024 Mercedes-AMG S63 E Performance First Drive: Electrifying Tradition

Chassis settings, along with engine and transmission response, steering weight, and sound, are keyed to seven drive modes. These include Electric, Battery Hold, Comfort, Sport, Sport+, Slippery, and Individual. Electric activates all-electric driving, Battery Hold saves the charge for later, Slippery is for white-knuckle situations, and Individual allows you to mix and match settings. That leaves Comfort, Sport, and Sport+ as the modes that reveal this car’s true character.

Comfort mode provides the full S-Class land yacht experience. The engine is on but not fully awake, so ambient noise remains fairly low. The ride is at its plushest. Motoring down California’s Pacific Coast Highway, our test car’s carbon-fiber interior trim and AMG badging were the only indicators that we were in an AMG model.

Switch to Sport mode, and you get a subtle burble to remind you that there is in fact a V8 under the hood. As with many other performance cars with programmable drive modes, the steering becomes unnecessarily heavy, but still allows for a fine level of control—which you’ll definitely need to aim a car of this size down a twisty road.

In Sport mode, the S63 no longer feels like an ordinary S-Class. Nor does it just feel like a big car with a powerful engine. It has the confidence-inspiring poise of a true sports sedan, one that impresses not only with its ability to move its considerable girth around corners, but also makes the experience enjoyable. Cars that rely this heavily on tech to overcome the laws of physics can be quite dull, but this is definitely one that makes you want to take the long way home. And that’s before shifting to Sport+ mode, which offers more of everything without making the car too uncomfortable for long stints.

News

Under the skin: Why cars will become more like smartphones

One of the latest buzz phrases in the car industry is ‘the software-defined car’. While some may not like the sound of it, there are already complaints on social media about buggy car software.

However, cars have been using specialised computers, known as electronic control units (ECUs), since the late 1970s. These ECUs are essentially boxes of hardware running computer code to control various functions in the car.

The first major use of ECUs in cars was to control engines, which greatly improved efficiency and power. Over time, ECUs found their way into other systems such as ABS, lighting, stability control, and transmission controls. Modern cars are filled with ECUs, with some vehicles having nearly 100 of them.

An advantage of using multiple ECUs was reducing the amount of wiring needed, which made cars more complex. Instead of individually wiring each electrical device and its associated components, the introduction of the controller area network (CAN) allowed each ECU to control its own group of equipment using only a few signal wires.

However, with the increasing complexity of cars, a more sophisticated solution is needed. This is where the concept of the software-defined car comes into play. For instance, Renault plans to update its cars throughout their lifetime using a centralised architecture, similar to how smartphones receive updates.

This shift involves going beyond using electronic components to operate car features and allowing them to evolve over time. Renault’s approach includes preventative maintenance, personalisation of interior features, battery charge management, infotainment, and more.

This transition also brings about a significant physical change. Instead of the 60-80 ECUs found in Renault’s cars today, there will be a central computer with excess power and flexibility. This way, it can accommodate future upgrades and handle vast amounts of data.

Renault is collaborating with Qualcomm and Google to develop the CAR OS for this software-defined approach.

Renault is just one example, as the rest of the industry is also moving in this direction. ZF Friedrichshafen, a major supplier and innovator, has created Cubix control software to coordinate and control all chassis actuators directly, including brakes, steer-by-wire, and suspension systems.