What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 26 February 2018

Welcome to another week and it's an interesting one here at Cloud 9 Towers as we get ready for the Nottingham Media Festival and more specifically the Nottingham International Microfilm Festival.  Many of the major film events around the world have been marked recently with the recognition of the #MeToo campaign globally and whilst we are fully supportive of any initiative that applauds equality and acknowledges and fights some of the appalling behaviour many women in all professions have had to suffer - we do debate whether this is a topic that should be included within our event. Not for any reason other than we have no agenda when it comes to recognising talent from the submissions irrespective of whether they were entered from a man, women, professional, student, or simply an enthusiast of this amazing genre. We just like great films. Especially short films or Microfilms. It seems wrong to jump onto a global bandwagon but also churlish to ignore an international campaign, and not to understate the Nottingham International Microfilm Festival, but our judges are a diverse mix of genders. We do look forward to welcoming the winners, finalists, sponsors and stakeholders to the Festival. We would also like to wave a flag for everyone involved irrespective of gender, nationality or status. Great films and great events require great people so we applaud you all. Have an amazing week! PS. Don't forget our free venue finding service is poised and ready to go for any enquiries you might have for your next event so please email info@cloud9em.co.uk

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 19 February 2018

Welcome to another week and we've gone a little Lego Crazy at Cloud 9 Towers as our Lego Legends Competition as part of the Nottingham Media Festival, hots up.

We're inviting all enthusiasts of LEGO® to get truly creative as part of the event, and submit designs of iconic Nottingham Buildings or Landmarks, or even historical figures such as Robin Hood.

We'll need to see three photographs of your completed design and a max of 250-300 words describing your creation no later than Wednesday 28 February 2018. 

This will enable our judges to make the decisions about which teams have been shortlisted to display their work. Please use the official entry form to submit your design details and photographs. We don't mind where you are based but you must be able to display your work in Nottingham from 8-10 March 2018 as part of the Nottingham Media Festival. Set up will need to take place in advance of 8 March and we will put you in touch with the the relevant host venue : Nottingham Media Festival #LegoLegends.

Open to individuals, teams, friends, schools, clubs and colleagues, we invite you to submit

your design in LEGO® representing Nottingham (an iconic building or landmark, historical figure or famous scene) and the finalists will all be displayed at a variety of venues around the Lace Market for the duration of the Nottingham Media Festival.

If your LEGO® skills are superb you might want to enter something a little more modern with a Media related structure so check out the categories and how to enter...

There will be some amazing prizes for the winners and lots of media coverage so get building and we look forward to being wowed with the LEGO® Legends Competition 2018.

So get a move on people as entries close soon - have a great week.

What's Floating Around Cloud 9? 12 February 2018

Welcome to another week and it's all about Skip Rizzo this week as we get set for the VR Expo & Awards from 8-10 March 2018.

Albert "Skip" Rizzo received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the State University of New York at Binghamton. Dr. Rizzo conducts research on the design, development and evaluation of Virtual Reality systems targeting the areas of clinical assessment, treatment and rehabilitation - and you will have the opportunity to meet him at the VR Expo in person very soon.

He is also working with a team that is creating artificially intelligent virtual patients that clinicians can use to practice skills required for challenging clinical interviews and diagnostic assessments (sexual assault, resistant patients, suicide lethality, etc.). 

His cognitive work has addressed the use of VR applications to test and train attention, memory, visuospatial abilities and executive function. In the motor domain, he has developed VR Game systems to address physical rehabilitation post stroke and Traumatic Brain Injury and for prosthetic use training. He is also investigating the use of VR for pain distraction at LA Children's Hospital and is currently designing game-based VR scenarios to address issues of concern with children having autistic spectrum disorder. 

His research also involves designing and evaluating 3D User Interface devices and interaction methods and he has created a graduate level Industrial and Systems Engineering course at USC entitled, "Human Factors and Integrated Media Systems". In the area of Gerontology, Dr. Rizzo has served as the program director of the USC Alzheimer's Disease Research Center and is currently conducting a VR study of visuospatial and wayfinding ability with persons with Alzheimer's. He is associate editor and on the editorial board of several VR and CyberPsychology journals, notably with MIT press, and has created his own Listserve (VRPSCYH).

Book Now to Enjoy the Godfather of VR in Nottingham Coming Soon!