Technology

Herewhat we know for sure: DJIgot a big event coming up. It was originally scheduled for July 18, but was ultimately pushed back so the company &can deliver according to [its] standard of innovation.& The timing certainly seems right for a followup to 2016Mavic Pro, and the &bigger picture& event artwork appears to confirm a focus on imaging.

This next part gets a bit more speculative, however. DroneDJ has published an image a (relatively) large folding drone bearing the name &Mavic 2.& The device also sports what looks to be a swappable camera gimbal, meaning users could potentially switch out the on-board model with different version.

That would be a welcome change for professional photographers searching for a portable solution they can shove in their camera bag along with the rest of their gear. The addition of wide-angle option would also be in keeping with that whole &bigger picture& bit.

CNET notes in a post that 360-degree obstacle avoidance is a possibility here, as well. That would help the new Mavic compete with the (admittedly pricey) R1 from Playground Global-backed startup Skydio that captured the drone communityhearts.

DJI is, of course, still far and away the market leader for consumer drones, and its Mavic line has gone a long way toward helping mainstream the product for consumers. But increased competition is no doubt keeping the company on its toes of late.

Leaks certainly wouldn&t be anything new for DJI, as the last several devices have surfaced online in some form prior to release. The company unsurprisingly declined our request for comment, however.

Toward the end of his life, it became somewhat common practice to post a picture of his door. It was an otherwise unremarkable thing, with a mail slot and a metal plate at the bottom. Up top, a large plate read simply, &S. Ditko.&

Most wouldn&t venture beyond that, respectful of not disturbing the legendary cartoonist who&d become something akin to a comic book version of J.D Salinger, or maybe Thomas Pynchon. Those who did invariably had entertaining stories of the great — if somewhat salty — man who co-created such legendary comics characters as Spider-Man and Dr. Strange.

This one from Fantagraphics publisher Eric Reynolds is a delightfully mixed bag:

Either character would have been enough to cement his place in the comic book hall of fame, but Ditkolist stretched much longer, including key figures in the Marvel universe.

As noted, nearly all of the above were credited to both Ditko and Stan Lee. His early Code work deserves closer examination, as well. It was, at turns, unblinkingly terrifying and bizarre, the kind of vibrant work one could have only created free from the sanitizing force of the Comics Code.

Most of his best known work dates back to the 1960s, but Steve Ditko made comics until the end, even as he sat out of the Hollywood blitzes from film franchises built around his creations. Ditko declined interviews, content to work on his books in private. He seemed to take pride in creating above all else.

After decades of working with the biggest publishing houses in comics, Marvel and DC, the artist self-published his own black and white books. One in particular, Mr. A, stuck with him the longest. The character, which dates back to the late-60s, appeared throughout the decades, directly reflecting the Randian Objectivist philosophy that also pervaded DC creations like Hawk and Dove.

Regardless of philosophical bent, however, Ditkowork was, above all, uncompromisingly original. It was vibrant and off-kilter, sometimes horrifying, sometime psychedelic and always, unfailingly, well, strange. He was a bonafide, brilliant weirdo in world of superhero comics that could use a lot more of that these days.

The artist was found dead in his New York apartment on June 29. He was believed to have passed away two days prior. He was 90.

According to sources cited by The Wall Street Journal, Univision is mulling the sale of the brand portfolio that includes popular sites like Gizmodo, Deadspin, The Root, Lifehacker and a chunk of The Onion.

Last year, the Spanish language broadcaster reportedly attempted to offload a 20-percent stake in the company for $200 million, but ultimately failed to find any takers, due to &skittish& potential investors.

All of this comes less than two years after Univision purchased Gawker Media, picking up the large suite of sites for $135 million, after the brand was felled by a Hulk Hogan lawsuit partially bankrolled by Peter Thiel. The brand was then folded into Fusion Media Group, a created four months prior when Univision bought out Disneystake in Fusion TV.

The move was largely seen as an attempt to appeal to a younger demo by a broadcast company that has otherwise had trouble adapting to current trends. But media is never easy, and in spite of a number of strong properties, the acquisition hasn&t exactly righted Univisionship.

Last month, Univision announced that former Media Generalhead Vince Sandusky would replace Randy Falco as CEO, who stepped down shortly after the company abandoned plans to IPO. In April, the company laid off 150 employees as part of an on-going restructuring.

Univision has yet to comment on the story.