Google Maps Learns to Multitask

Google needs to remain competitive across platforms in the long run, noted Chris Silva, principal analyst at High Rock Strategy, so it can't made the technology overly complicated. "This is technology for them that is a gateway to get users to use Gmail and even Chrome," he explained. "So it is a Trojan horse for them, and they could lose that entryway if they make it too complex."

Google Maps has become the default source of directions for many users, but one feature it has notoriously lacked is the ability to provide directions to multiple destinations. On Wednesday, however, the company announced that it is now rolling out the feature at last.

"Based on your input, we're pleased to announce one of your most requested features -- directions for multiple destinations -- will begin rolling out today," said Florian Goerisch, product manager for Google Maps. "Whether you're running weekend errands or planning a cross-country tour, you can plot multiple destinations for your trip with ease -- now available for driving, walking and biking directions."

To get directions for a trip with multiple destinations, users simply create a starting point and click to add stops along the way.

Help With Reservations

"The new version of Google Maps is still, well, new," Lauren Barriere, a Google spokesperson, told TechNewsWorld. "We've been working hard to improve maps since we first announced the preview in May, with the newest addition of directions to multiple destinations.

"We'll continue to bring both familiar features and brand new ones to the new Maps over time," Barriere added.

Also new in the Google Maps update are new tools to help users manage their reservations and discover upcoming events. The reservation tool, for instance, is designed to work as it does in Google Search, pulling information from users' Gmail, Google Calendar and Google+ accounts.

Google first previewed its new features at its annual I/O developer conference earlier this year.

'More Complex Than People Think'

It isn't clear why the multiple-destinations feature wasn't available from Google Maps before, but "I think we're seeing some additions that come from their purchase of Waze and its technology," suggested Chris Silva, principal analyst at High Rock Strategy.

"Google is good at knowing when to bring the product to market," Silva told TechNewsWorld. "It could be that the multiple destinations were hampered in some algorithmic way. This technology is probably a lot more complex than people think -- directions that take you way out of the way because the computer program thinks it is better won't make for a good product."

Google's incremental additions are also "just the nature of their approach," opined Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "They decided to keep the product simple at first and assure it worked, then added features.

"Given the Apple issues with mapping, this appears to be a very wise approach after the fact," Enderle told TechNewsWorld.

'The Attention Span of a Gnat'

Of course, Google also needs to remain competitive across platforms in the long run, Silva noted, so it can't made the technology overly complicated.

"This is technology for them that is a gateway to get users to use Gmail and even Chrome," he explained. "So it is a Trojan horse for them, and they could lose that entryway if they make it too complex."

Too-frequent change could be another problem.

"Google has the attention span of a gnat, and their advantage is they can afford to give this stuff away for free," Enderle said. "They aren't the best -- they are the cheapest."

Looking ahead, he concluded, "they could be displaced by another embedded product showing up in more popular hardware or another free offering that had a sustainable advantage and more focus/funding by the provider."

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/79161.html
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Brother MFC-J4410DW

The Brother MFC-J4410DW is a striking example of Brother's tendency to build a printer for every niche it can think of. In this case it fills in the already small jump in Brother's Business Smart series between the Brother MFC-J4310DW below and the current Editors' Choice Brother MFC-J4510DW above. Whether you think of it as the MFC-J4310DW with an automatic document feeder (ADF) added or as the MFC-J4510DW with a smaller touch screen, you won't be far off. Either way, it costs less than the MFC-J4510DW, but is close enough to it in capability to replace it as Editors' Choice.

Like all of the Business Smart series printers, the MFC-J4410DW is primarily a letter-size printer that can also handle up to tabloid-size paper (11 by 17 inches) through its manual-feed slot. If you need to print on tabloid-size paper, but only occasionally and only for one- or two-page documents, that makes it an attractive choice compared with more expensive printers with tabloid-size paper trays. It also makes for a much smaller printer?at 7.3 by 18.9 by 11.4 inches (HWD) for the MF-J4410DW.

Basics
Aside from the smaller touch screen, at 1.8 instead of 3.7 inches, the MFC-J4410DW is essentially identical to the Brother MFC-J4510DW. The only other significant difference is that Brother rates it at a slower speed. However, it actually turned out to be just a touch faster in my tests.

Like the Brother MFC-J4510DW, the MFC-J4410DW is small enough to share a desk with easily as a personal printer, but along with the ubiquitous USB port, it also includes Ethernet and Wi-Fi as connection choices, so you can share it easily on a network. Basic MFP features include the ability to print and fax from, as well as scan to, a computer, including over a network, and the ability to work as a standalone copier and fax machine. It also offers the convenience of letting you print from and scan to a memory card or USB memory key.

Like more and more printers today, the MFC-J4410DW supports mobile printing too, including both printing through the cloud and printing from a smartphone or tablet over a Wi-Fi connection. In addition, it offers Wi-Fi Direct for easy connection directly to the printer even if it's not on a network with an access point. Web-connected options let you print from and scan to various online services, including Evernote, Dropbox, and Facebook.

Paper Handling
The 150-sheet input capacity for the MFC-J4410DW's main tray is a little meager, but enough for most personal use or for light-duty use for a shared printer in a micro or small office. Very much on the plus side are the conveniences of a built-in duplexer (for printing on both sides of a page) and a manual-feed slot in the back. The manual feed not only lets you print on different paper stock without having to swap out paper in the tray, it also lets you print on paper up to 11 by 17 inches.

As with the Brother MFC-J4510DW, the MFC-J4410DW positions the main tray with the long side parallel to the front or the printer, so letter-size paper comes out with the 11-inch side first. This sideways paper feed also lets you feed tabloid-size paper, with its 11-inch side as the leading edge, through the manual feed slot. You have to feed the pages one at a time, but for occasional printing of one or two-page tabloid size documents, it's a nice extra in what's otherwise a letter-size printer.

For scanning, the MFC-J4410DW offers both a letter-size flatbed and a 20-page ADF. As with most office-oriented MFPs, the ADF lets you scan up to legal-size pages.

Setup and Speed and Output Quality
Both physical and network setup for the MFC-J4410DW was standard fare. For my tests, I connected to a network using the Ethernet port, and installed the drivers on a Windows Vista system.

The MFC-J4410DW's speed is within the typical range for its price. On our business applications suite (using QualityLogic's hardware and software for timing), I clocked it at an effective 3.7 pages per minute (ppm). That makes it a little faster than the MFC-J4510DW, at 3.3 ppm, despite Brother giving it a lower speed rating. It's also tied with the MFC-J4310DW, and a little faster than the similarly priced Editors' Choice HP Officejet 6700 Premium e-All-in-One , at 3.4 ppm.

Output quality is good enough for most business needs, but nothing to get excited about. Text quality in my tests was near the high end of the range for an inkjet MFP, making it easily good enough for most business use. Graphics were just a touch below par, which still makes them good enough for any internal business need. Depending on how much of a perfectionist you are, you may or may not consider them good enough for PowerPoint handouts and the like. Photos were comparable to the low end of what you would expect from drugstore prints.

The Brother MFC-J4410DW offers everything that made the MFC-J4510DW Editors' Choice. It delivers just as attractive a balance of speed, output quality, and MFP features, and, above all, the convenience of being able to print an occasional page at tabloid size without having to pay for a printer with tabloid-size paper trays. It's also a little less expensive than the MFC-J4510DW and a touch faster too. You have to weigh those pluses against the minus of the smaller touch screen, but, on balance, the Brother MFC-J4410DW just enough more than the MFC-J4510DW to replace it as Editors' Choice.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/YxbOQziufj8/0,2817,2422373,00.asp

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How To Take Beautiful Photos - Article - SubmitYourArticle.com

Have you looked at a stunning photo and wished that you could take such a beautiful picture? Here are a few key points that can help you improve your photography skills.

The first thing to remember is that photography is an art. Just like art, once you understand the basics and start putting them into practice, you'll find your photography skills will improve.

Taking beautiful photos is all about light. Without light there would be no photography and taking a great photo means being in the right place at the right time to get the perfect light, particularly for outdoor shots. Variations in light conditions can make all the difference between a good photo and a great one. The best advice is to experiment and take lots of pictures under various lighting.

The amount of light that falls on your camera sensor when the shutter is opened is known as exposure and is another important factor in producing a great photo. Too much light, overexposure, will result in the photo appearing pale and washed out, while too little light, underexposure, will result in loss of details hidden in shadow.

Even if your exposure is correct, your potentially beautiful photo could be marred by lack of focus. Focus is controlled by the aperture setting. A wide aperture setting will produce a shallow depth of field while a small aperture will give a greater depth of field. Remember that you will need to increase the exposure to compensate for reduced aperture settings.

You can control items such as lighting and exposure by using additional lights and screens. You can also gain more control by arranging your subject and by using props to enhance the subject. This technique, known as staging, can add interest to your photo. It also allows you to compose your photo to get a better balance in the relationship between the subject and background.

The most important tip is to take photographs. The more you take, the more you experiment, the more experience you'll gain. Remember, practice makes perfect. Sure, you'll end up with loads of poor photos, but in the age of digital cameras, this is not a big deal. For every hundred photos you take, you'll see one that will excite you.

And don't despair. If that otherwise perfect shot is ruined by a blemish, there are always photo-editing software programs that can help you. Try Corel PaintShop Pro, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Serif Photoplus, ACDSee or Xara, just to mention a few.

A final tip, keep your eyes open and try to view every scene as a photo. Great photo opportunities are all around; you just have to see them. Good luck capturing the perfect shot!

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Source: http://articles.submityourarticle.com/how-to-take-beautiful-photos-334979

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Court: College athletes can sue EA over images

Associated Press

Posted on July 31, 2013 at 2:02 PM

Updated today at 2:02 PM

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? A federal appeals court has ruled that video game maker Electronic Arts must face legal claims by college players that it unfairly used their images without compensation.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Wednesday that the Redwood City, Calif., company can't use the 1st Amendment to shield it from the players' lawsuit.

EA says it plans to appeal. The company had claimed its college-based sports games were works of arts deserving freedom of expression protection.

The court disagreed, ruling the avatars used in the company's basketball and football games were exact replicas of individual players. The court concluded that the company did little to transform the avatars into works of art.

The decision upheld a lower court ruling.

Source: http://www.wfaa.com/news/business/217792021.html

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Advanced Architecture Software Could Make Buildings More Energy ...

Since the unveiling of Frank Gehry?s titanium-skinned?Guggenheim Museum Bilbao?in 1997, we?ve grown accustomed to?eye-popping architectural statements, whether in the complex geometry of Herzog & de Meuron?s?Beijing National Stadium?(also known as the ?Bird?s Nest?) or in the precarious cantilevering of Zaha Hadid?s MAXXI?National Museum?in Rome. If it seems there?s some immensely complicated system being used to engineer these gravity-?defying arcs, ramps, and curves, that?s because there is. But that technology, known as parametric modeling, can do much more than facilitate the fantastic creations of Gehry, Hadid, and their ilk. Increasingly, parametric design is being used not just to make buildings more visually compelling but to precisely tune nearly every aspect of their performance, from acoustics to energy efficiency. It?s not as sexy an application, but it will become far more valuable to architecture and the way we live and work.

The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain.

Parametric design software automatically figures out how changing any parameter of a structure will affect other physical aspects. It?s more complex than the computer-?aided design (CAD) software that has been the industry standard since the 1980s. That software essentially works like a digital pencil; it requires a person to move a mouse around to manipulate the lines on an architectural drawing. Today?s parametric technology is more than just a drafting tool. Not only can it model a building and many of its attributes in 3-D, but it can revise a model instantly. If an architect wants to alter the pitch of a roof, for example, the walls then follow the revised roofline automatically. As Hao Ko, a design director at the architectural firm?Gensler, explains, ?The designer is setting the rules and parameters, with the computer doing the iterations. This gives designers more flexibility to explore designs, and we can make changes faster.? It also means that architects are more willing to make changes that can ultimately make a project better.

As the technology has improved, parametric models have been able to accept more and more inputs. Architects can use the software to investigate what a building could be made of or how its natural lighting could be maximized. Or they can virtualize window dimensions and ceiling heights and the way a structure is heated and cooled. ?In any project, there are a million possibilities,? says architect ?Matthew Pierce of?Perkins + Will

Phil Bernstein, an architect and vice president at the software maker?Autodesk, believes parametric technology will help make new buildings more environmentally sustainable. (This is crucial, given that buildings account for 40 percent of the world?s energy use and one-third of all carbon dioxide emissions.) The current industry standard for energy efficiency is?LEED?Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. Architects who use green features like drought-?tolerant plants and efficient heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning systems can apply for LEED certification.

The signature curves in Beijing?s Olympic stadium arose from a complex geometry that demanded computer modeling.

But critics of this approach point out that it?s hard to measure the outcomes. Parametric technology might provide more precise metrics. How much energy will a building actually need? Or how much might it generate? How much water will it use? These things can be determined during the design process and rapidly optimized?you can adjust the model until you get the results you?re looking for.

That was the case with Perkins + Will?s design for the?Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences, in East Boothbay, Maine. The firm used software called?Ecotect?Analysis (now owned by Autodesk) to model everything from thermal performance to daylighting?the practice of placing?windows?or other openings in such a way that?natural light can reliably illuminate the interior. As the architects tinkered with the design in a computer, it calculated and analyzed such properties as the building?s floor area, its volume, and the required quantities of materials. They could simulate the thermal performance of different wall, roof, and window assemblies?and evaluate the performance against the cost. They could study how different types of glass would perform?not just in general but on the northeast wall at the building?s exact location, under conditions suggested by long-term weather data.

The MAXXI?National Museum of the 21st Century Arts?in Rome, Italy.

The benefits of parametric technology can similarly be seen in Gensler?s soon-to-be-completed?Shanghai Tower, which at 630 meters will be the second-tallest tower in the world and the tallest in China. Its twisting, curved form was an aesthetic choice, to be sure, but by plugging that geometry into a modeling tool known as?Grasshopper, the designers were able to tweak the shape to minimize the force of winds on the fa?ade. As Ko explains, ?If you have a tall tower like that, you?re studying the different degrees of rotation. It would be tedious if you had to do it manually. Using rotation as one of the parameters, you can run through the various iterations to get to the final situation.?

Idiosyncratic subdivisions

For now, the most familiar built expressions of parametric design remain extreme projects like those created by Zaha Hadid Architects, a firm that is known for avoiding corners, right angles, and familiar typologies. We see a similar avoidance of corners in the astounding 19,000 molded glass-reinforced concrete pieces and 3,500 custom curved glass panels that make up Frank Gehry?s design for the?Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation, a $100-million-plus museum scheduled to open in Paris next year.

Natural lighting was one of the elements that architects tried to maximize in the Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences.

Even so, many architects (and their clients) are increasingly asserting that gesture and complexity for their own sake are not enough. Accordingly, the building industry is becoming more knowledgeable about improving a structure?s function. Architecture graduates arrive at firms armed with expertise in parametric tools such as Revit, Grasshopper, and Rhino; they may never have designed without the help of computers, and parametric modeling is familiar to them. Among builders, engineers, and architects, the adoption of advanced digital tools for what?s known as?building information modelingsurged from 28 percent in 2007 to 49 percent in 2009 and 71 percent in 2012.

Some of the most dramatic forms designed with parametric technology have come from Frank Gehry, whose Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation is soon to open in Paris.

And while such technology is useful for formally complex buildings, even simpler forms should benefit from it. Architects Nataly Gattegno and Jason Kelly Johnson of?Future Cities Lab?believe parametric design can change how we think about floor plans of houses or grid patterns of planned communities. ?Do these houses all have to be the same?? Gattegno asks. Parametric modeling ?could open up all kinds of possibilities of what a house could be.? Mass-produced housing might become less cookie-cutter, more idiosyncratic, and more economical and energy efficient.?

Similarly, the technology could reshape urban planning. Just as it can create a detailed representation of a wall, it can model an entire neighborhood to determine the optimal size and shape of the various structures in it, says Autodesk?s Bernstein.?Awkwardly scaled McMansions might be rethought?to make more efficient use of lots, building materials, and energy.?

Parametric modeling can even take human proportions and movement into account. A company called ?AnyBody Technology, for example, does full-body physical simulations for the design of cockpits or workspaces. The company has begun collaborating on R&D with architects so that a parametric model can be used to simulate a body walking through a given space. Eventually, architects could design, say, a nursing home in a way that optimized walking distances or ergonomics.

Of course, models are still mere simulations. And one thing that this modeling can?t automatically account for?yet, anyway?is human behavior. Bernstein told me that when Autodesk built its LEED-certified headquarters, its designers ?energy-modeled the hell out of it? in parametric software only to find out that the building used 30 percent more energy than they had anticipated. Why? Among other things, after the lights automatically went off at 6:30 p.m., cleaning crews turned them back on and didn?t shut them off again.

Allison Arieff is a content strategist for SPUR, an urban planning and policy think tank in San Francisco, and a contributing columnist at the New York Times.

Source: http://www.technologyreview.com/review/517596/new-forms-that-function-better/

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Dr. Nicole Hraniotis M.D. or Doctor Nicki, a Board Certified ...

Dr. Nicole Hraniotis M.D. is a skilled and experienced adolescent, adult, and child psychiatrist with an expertise in the management of psychiatric disorders, including but not limited to, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, loss or grief, relationship issues, family conflict, parenting, self-esteem, peer relationships, divorce, ADHD, and women?s mental health. Through a combination of therapeutic techniques, she identifies limiting beliefs and outmoded coping mechanisms that may be standing in patient?s way.

Dr. Nicole Hraniotis, M.D. opened a psychiatric practice in central New Jersey for people with variety of issues related to home and family as well as work and career.

Dr. Hraniotis is a Board Certified and experienced adolescent, adult, and child psychiatrist who has helped patients build richer, more rewarding lives for over 6 years. Through a combination of therapeutic techniques, she identifies limiting beliefs and outmoded coping mechanisms that may be standing in patient?s way.

For those tired of seeing a psychiatrist for only 10 minutes in a hospital or clinic, Dr. Hraniotis says: ?I offer a better alternative as I give undivided care and attention to each and every patient?.? She provides a caring environment in which the patient can identify and explore those issues that may be getting in the way of a more rewarding life and careers, or more fulfilling relationships. The goal is to provide my patients with the insight and tools they need to move beyond old, limiting beliefs and behaviors.

Dr. Hraniotis completed a Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Fellowship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey at Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in June 2011.? Prior to that, she completed an Adult Psychiatry Residency at the same institution.? She completed adult, child, and adolescent Consultation and Liaison psychiatry at Hackensack University Medical Center and at the Joseph M. Sanzari Children?s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, as well as served as an academic instructor for UMDNJ residents and students at this location. She is currently working part time at Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank on the Consultation and Liaison psychiatric service serving both children and adults.

During her residency and fellowship, Dr. Hraniotis has particularly excelled in CBT skills, interpersonal therapy, and working with difficult family therapy situations. She demonstrated extraordinary initiative in learning about her patients and their disorders and took the time and effort to contact collaborating agencies and individuals to provide the most thorough evaluations as possible.? She has an interest and an expertise in the management of psychiatric disorders, including but not limited to, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, loss or grief, relationship issues, family conflict, parenting, self-esteem, peer relationships, divorce, ADHD, and women?s mental health.

?

Because of her extensive experience, Dr. Hraniotis provides a variety of services, including medication management plus individual psychotherapy, family therapy, children?s therapy, couples counseling, parent counseling, cognitive behavior therapy, mindfulness techniques, and sport psychiatry.

About Dr. Nicole Hraniotis, M.D.

Dr. Nicole Hraniotis, M.D., or Doctor Nicki, is a Board Certified skilled and experienced adolescent, adult, and child psychiatrist who has helped patients for over 6 years. Through a combination of therapeutic techniques, she helps identify limiting beliefs and outmoded coping mechanisms that may be standing in patient?s way. All communication is kept strictly confidential. For more information or to book an appointment, visit www.doctornicki.com or call 732-383-6255.

Source: http://emacc.org/dr-nicole-hraniotis-m-d-or-doctor-nicki-a-board-certified-psychiatrist-opens-adult-adolescent-and-child-psychiatric-practice/

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Is This Film Festival A Scam? Sometimes, It's Not So Obvious ...

The Quad Cinema, one of the venues used by the Manhattan Film Festival.

There are thousands of film festivals in North America. Of those, a majority have significant track records -- that is, their films find distribution, the filmmakers raise their profiles, or, at a minimum, the festival has a solid reputation that enhances the filmmakers' stature by proxy.?

But a slim margin exist because most filmmakers don?t make the cut. Inexperienced with the festival circuit, they scramble to find somewhere, anywhere, to screen. The looser acceptance protocols can give filmmakers a false sense of success that allows them to display multiple laurels on their websites and posters -- which are largely meaningless to anyone but the filmmakers.?

Still -- a screen is a screen, right??

IT'S A GOOD MOVIE, BUT CAN THEY PLAY IT?

"It was a fucking nightmare." That's how Mira Gibson described the premiere of her film "Warfield" at the Manhattan Film Festival last year. Certain it wouldn't be accepted at the New York Film Festival or Tribeca, the Brooklynite wanted to screen in the city and thought MFF would be a good fit. (Editor's note: Manhattan Film Festival should not be confused with the Manhattan Short Film Festival, a completely separate organization.)?

She submitted her film and entry fee through online service Withoutabox; when the film was accepted, Gibson hustled to put the final touches in post. About 10 weeks before the 2012 MFF, she sent "Warfield" in the form of a thumb drive, along with specs.

When her big night arrived, Gibson was anxious?and not because she was about to unveil a film that she'd been hyping for months to her agent, manager, family, friends, cast and crew. The venue wasn't readymade for a movie premiere: That year, the festival was screening films at The Producer's Club, a Times Square space more suited for theater work.

It proved to be an omen of things to come.

As the lights went down and the picture came up, Gibson was horrified. "It's the wrong one!" she yelled out. Her first audience was watching the version she?d submitted for acceptance?a work-in-progress with no color or audio correction, no credits or the score.

After her pleas with the projectionist failed to stop the film, Gibson learned only then that her thumb drive version, which represented thousands of dollars in final edits, was unplayable by MFF: The thumb drive was Mac-formatted and their equipment was Windows. Gibson was speechless.

While her experience would be a nightmare for any filmmaker, not every accusation of a festival?s illegitimacy is cut and dry. The Manhattan Film Festival, which wrapped its 7th edition in June, is such a case.?

READ MORE: Indiewire Investigation: The Dark Underbelly of the Film Festival Circuit, Part 1

Filmmakers Philip J. Nelson and Jose Ruiz founded the event in 2006 after struggling to find an audience for their film, ?Promise of a New Day.? MovieMaker magazine selected MFF in 2012 as one of the "25 Film Festivals Worth the Entry Fee," largely due to its revenue sharing agreement: The festival and filmmakers split ticket sales 50/50, with the site Screen Booker taking 99-cent service fee on every ticket sold. (Filmmakers interviewed for this story say they received amounts ranging from $300-$400.)

On the surface, the festival sounds like a hidden gem among the thousands. However, after seven years, its profile remains very low (although for its first four years, its name was Independent Features Film Festival). And all the filmmakers interviewed for this story -- whether they enjoyed the festival or not?commented on its rampant disorganization, lack of communication and screening ineptitude.

CONFIRM THE LOCATION

L.A.-based filmmaker Timothy L. Anderson screened his debut feature, the Coolio-starring dark comedy "Two Hundred Thousand Dirty," at the 2013 MFF. Only available to fly to town on the day of his screening, Anderson was having lunch with a friend in midtown and prepared to do a final social media blast about the premiere when he got a call from his AD that the location on their Screen Booker page suddenly changed from the East Village?s Quad Cinema to Hunter College on the Upper East Side."I was never emailed or called at all," said Anderson about the change.?

Panic ensued: Unable to get in touch with his festival contact over the phone, Anderson rushed to the Quad for answers and found only volunteers and staff who had none. Anderson then spent two hours waiting in the lobby until Nelson showed up, who only explained that there were booking problems.

"We did postcards saying it was at the Quad and they were right next to him as we were talking,? said Anderson. ?So no one at the festival saw these and saw they were wrong? My lead actor was at the opening night party, no one said anything to him about it. I told [Nelson], ?If you walk to the Quad and find out the film is now uptown, you?re just going to go to a bar.?? With only three hours before his screening, Anderson suggested a shuttle service.

"There were such repeated instances of clusterfuck."

In a panic, Nelson found a limo company to take the people who showed up at the Quad over to Hunter College, where things weren?t much better: the film began only after the projectionist scrambled to find a working Blu-ray player. There was no festival representative there to introduce the film or moderate a Q&A afterwards.

Jon Lindstrom, also L.A.-based (you may remember him as Dr. Kevin Collins on "General Hospital"), had a similar experience when screening his debut feature, summer-getaway-gone-wrong thriller "How We Got Away With It." However, he only learned about his location change when he ran into Nelson at the Quad, where he was told his film would now play at Hunter.

"I was checking my Screen Booker page every day," said Lindstrom. "They must have changed it that day." Like Anderson, the festival shuttled audience members up to Hunter. Lindstrom?s film also started late and had technical issues.

"There were such repeated instances of clusterfuck," Lindstrom said. "There should have been backup plans, contingencies. They should have learned over so many years. I'm still rather stunned."

Location changes for screenings are a frequent occurrence at festivals (though usually filmmakers are notified directly before it has happened). Most filmmakers that Indiewire interviewed who attended MFF either last year or this year just made the most out of a lousy situation.

Solvan Naim took a slightly different tack: After spending an estimated $3,500 on promotions for the MFF screening of his debut darmedy/hip-hop musical, ?Full Circle,? at the Quad, the Brooklyn native learned from ticket buyers that the location was now Hunter College. Naim wasn't satisfied with Nelson's shuttle suggestion; when conversations stalled with Nelson and unable to get assistance from Quad owner Elliott Kanbar, Naim contacted his lawyer, Habib Bentaleb. According to Bentaleb, the festival refused to reply to his numerous emails. And then Naim received an email from Nelson stating that they were pulling his film -- a move that may violate Withoutabox?s Festival Participation Agreement. (Nelson said he was unaware of the clause. In a statement provided to Indiewire, Withoutabox said, "If we determine that a festival has violated our Terms of Service, we will take action, which may include terminating a festival's access to Withoutabox services." The company declined to comment specifically about MFF.)

Naim responded by gathering friends, actors and film crew to protest at the Quad. Naim met other filmmakers with similar MFF woes; the police even showed up and tried to get Naim and Nelson to reconcile.

Two days later, Naim rented a New York University theater and showed his film.

Next: The festival's founder responds.

Source: http://www.indiewire.com/article/is-this-film-festival-a-scam-sometimes-its-not-so-obvious

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