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Facebook invents new unit of time called a flick | Facebook invents new unit of time called a flick |
(about 4 hours later) | |
A Facebook engineer has invented a new unit of time called a flick. | A Facebook engineer has invented a new unit of time called a flick. |
The flick has been designed to help developers keep video effects in sync, according to a description on the code-sharing site GitHub. | The flick has been designed to help developers keep video effects in sync, according to a description on the code-sharing site GitHub. |
A flick, derived from "frame-tick", is 1/705,600,000 of a second - the next unit of time after a nanosecond. | A flick, derived from "frame-tick", is 1/705,600,000 of a second - the next unit of time after a nanosecond. |
A researcher at Oxford University said the flick wouldn't have much general impact but may help create better virtual reality experiences. | A researcher at Oxford University said the flick wouldn't have much general impact but may help create better virtual reality experiences. |
Flicks are defined in the programming language C++, which is used to generate visual effects for film, television and other media. | Flicks are defined in the programming language C++, which is used to generate visual effects for film, television and other media. |
Flicks give programmers a way to measure the time between media frames without using fractions. | Flicks give programmers a way to measure the time between media frames without using fractions. |
Matt Hammond, lead research engineer at BBC Research and Development, said this can reduce errors such as stutters in graphics. | Matt Hammond, lead research engineer at BBC Research and Development, said this can reduce errors such as stutters in graphics. |
"When the numbers used are not integers, errors can gradually creep into computer calculations. These errors can build up over time, eventually causing inaccuracies that become noticeable," he said. | "When the numbers used are not integers, errors can gradually creep into computer calculations. These errors can build up over time, eventually causing inaccuracies that become noticeable," he said. |
Flick's creator, Christopher Horvath, publicly shared his idea on Facebook in early 2017, according to the GitHub description. He then made modifications to the new measurement based on feedback from comments. | Flick's creator, Christopher Horvath, publicly shared his idea on Facebook in early 2017, according to the GitHub description. He then made modifications to the new measurement based on feedback from comments. |
The Oxford University researcher, who asked not to be identified, said that flicks may help virtual reality developers deal with latency, or delay. | The Oxford University researcher, who asked not to be identified, said that flicks may help virtual reality developers deal with latency, or delay. |
"Very often in academic literature, you have this notion of presence and immersion," he told the BBC. | "Very often in academic literature, you have this notion of presence and immersion," he told the BBC. |
"Immersion is the engagement you feel with a computer game. Presence is the notion of your brain feeling that you are there. | "Immersion is the engagement you feel with a computer game. Presence is the notion of your brain feeling that you are there. |
"Presence is very, very easy to break. I think perhaps a very fixed way of describing these time steps allows for developers to have a bit more flexibility in dealing with latency issues and making sure videos stay in sync." | "Presence is very, very easy to break. I think perhaps a very fixed way of describing these time steps allows for developers to have a bit more flexibility in dealing with latency issues and making sure videos stay in sync." |
A flick is not the first unit of time designed by a major corporation. Swatch introduced Internet Time in 1998, which divides the day into 1,000 ".beats". | A flick is not the first unit of time designed by a major corporation. Swatch introduced Internet Time in 1998, which divides the day into 1,000 ".beats". |
The measurement - equal to one minute and 26.4 seconds - was designed to eliminate the need for time zones. It has not caught on globally. |
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