I didn’t recognize Resident Evil 7: Biohazard when Capcom revealed it at E3 2016 with a mysterious teaser trailer. To begin with, it was a first-person game, when Resident Evil is famously a third-person perspective series. Secondly, the trailer show…
Source: Engadget – ‘Resident Evil 7’ is the most terrifying VR game on the market
Monthly Archives: January 2017
Top 10 Ways to Extend Your Laptop's Battery Life
There’s nothing good about running out of juice when you’re trying to get stuff done, and being unable to find a plug to recharge your battery in the meantime. If you work on the go at all, here are some easy tips to extend the life of your laptop’s battery, both in a pinch and before you leave the house.
Source: LifeHacker – Top 10 Ways to Extend Your Laptop’s Battery Life
Saturday's Best Deals: Thinkpad Yoga, TRX Training System, LED Bulbs, and More
A Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga for under $300, a TRX suspension system, cheap LED light bulbs, and more lead Saturday’s best deals.
Source: LifeHacker – Saturday’s Best Deals: Thinkpad Yoga, TRX Training System, LED Bulbs, and More
A Quick Reminder That The Expanse Has Some of the Most Badass Female Characters on TV
The Expanse is returning next week, and Syfy is ramping up the hype with its promos—including one simply titled “Why Fans Love The Expanse,” and a recap of season one performed by cats. Most recently, “The Powerful Women of The Expanse” offers a reminder of how badass the show’s female characters really are.
Source: io9 – A Quick Reminder That The Expanse Has Some of the Most Badass Female Characters on TV
Canadian Police Identify Suspect From Remotely-Accessed Stolen Laptop
An anonymous reader writes:
Last week a security consultant remotely logged into his stolen laptop, and gathered clues from a Facebook profile. Though it didn’t provide the suspect’s real name, the consultant shared the profile online, and says he’s now receiving tips from other crime victims who are scouring through the profile’s friends list. And according to a local newspaper, the Canadian police say they’ve now identified a suspect, although “there is a lot of work that needs to be done before we can lay charges.” But despite this apparent victory, one officer is also warning the public against sharing a suspect’s identity on social media, according to the paper, “after the social media post may have wrongly identified a suspect.”
“When you get to public shaming, I urge caution…” the police officer tells the newspaper. “As a person that gets stuff stolen, I understand the want to publicly shame someone… Give us all the info, and we will follow up once we have the evidence.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – Canadian Police Identify Suspect From Remotely-Accessed Stolen Laptop
Oracle Switching Solaris To A Continuous Delivery Model
Last week talk of Solaris heated up again with Solaris 12 being removed from the Oracle road-map, after rumors of Oracle canning Solaris occurred in early December, meanwhile there are also more layoffs happening at Oracle. Oracle finally issued a blog post this week with a bit more clarification on the matter…
Source: Phoronix – Oracle Switching Solaris To A Continuous Delivery Model
Nintendo Shares Switch Specs, Still Won't Detail Its Nvidia Chip
Maybe I am just blind and not seeing them on the U.S. site, but the U.K.’s Nintendo Switch page appears to be definitively better, having now published an extensive list of specifications for the upcoming console/handheld hybrid. But as you could presume from the headline, things are still pretty hush hush about the Nvidia chip responsible for its graphics prowess (or lack thereof).
Nintendo has published a lengthy list of specs for its hybrid handheld/home Switch console, so that you know what you’re getting for your $300. Except the company won’t say anything more about the CPU and CPU inside of the Switch beyond its go-to line that it’s an “Nvidia customized Tegra processor.” From the first Switch reveal trailer in October, Nvidia and Nintendo have both publicly declined the opportunity to reveal the custom Tegra’s architecture, process, or clock speed. GamesBeat has independently revealed via multiple sources that the Switch will run on a chip similar to what is inside Nvidia’s Shield TV product, which is based on the company’s last-generation Maxwell architecture. That makes the Switch less powerful than the PlayStation 4 from competitor Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Nintendo Shares Switch Specs, Still Won’t Detail Its Nvidia Chip
Intel Pursues Moore's Law With Plan To Make 7-Nm Chips This Year
It will still be quite a while until we can get our hands on this technology, but Intel is setting up a pilot plant as early as this year to test and iron out the kinks in manufacturing 7-nm chips. These chips, which will follow the 10-nm process, are expected to comprise exotic materials, which will allow them to be significantly smaller and more power efficient.
Intel is looking at the 7-nm process to alleviate some of the challenges it faces on the 14-nm and 10-nm processors. The company has hinted it would introduce EUV (extreme ultraviolet) tools in the manufacturing process. EUV will help etch finer features on chips, but its implementation has been delayed multiple times. The pilot factory will help validate all those features, and then allow Intel to order equipment for the new factories, McCarron said. Competitors like Globalfoundries and Samsung are getting a head-start on the 7-nm process. Globalfoundries has said it will start making 7-nm chips by 2018, and ARM has released tools for the design of 7-nm chips.
Discussion
Source: [H]ardOCP – Intel Pursues Moore’s Law With Plan To Make 7-Nm Chips This Year
In Berlin, refugees become friends—through board games
Enlarge / An individual Parcheesi board colored by one of the children. (credit: Jeff Allers)
Welcome to Ars Cardboard, our weekend look at tabletop games. The author of today’s piece, Jeffrey D. Allers, is the Berlin-based designer of numerous board games such as Citrus, Heartland, Order of the Gilded Compass, and Piece O’ Cake.
The current refugee crisis is not a game. There are no clear rules, information is often untrackable, hidden variables can lead to utter chaos, and there’s no endgame in site.
And yet, tens of thousands of refugees were welcomed into Berlin—my adopted home city—during the past year. As they have taken up residence in makeshift shelters and previously abandoned buildings, I find myself connecting with many of them in my neighborhood through the shared language and experience of playing board games.
Read 50 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – In Berlin, refugees become friends—through board games
Watch This Insane First Person Scooter Video And Try Not To Crap Your Pants
In countries where most people commute on scooters or motorcycles, traffic laws seem to be more of a suggestion than a rule. This scooter rider takes on a crazy first person ride that he calls “not that scary” and I almost had a heart attack.
Source: Gizmodo – Watch This Insane First Person Scooter Video And Try Not To Crap Your Pants
SK Hynix Lays Out Plans for 2017: 10nm-Class DRAM, 72-Layer 3D NAND
SK Hynix this week announced financial results for its fiscal year 2016 and also revealed general plans for 2017. As expected, the company intends to start volume production of new types of memory and expand production capacities. What is noteworthy is that the company will primarily invest in the expansion of NAND flash manufacturing capacities, rather than the expansion of DRAM production, in the short-term future.
DRAM: 21 nm Ramping, 18 nm(?) on Track for 2H 2017
SK Hynix began to make DRAM using its 21 nm fabrication process in late 2015. The manufacturer has been gradually expanding usage of the technology as well as improving its yields since then. By now, SK Hynix makes a wide range of its products (including mainstream DRAM, mobile DRAM and specialized memory) using its 21 nm manufacturing process. This week the company confirmed that it intends to start volume production of DRAM using its 10 nm-class process technology (which industry experts believe is 18 nm) this year.
Just like other memory makers, SK Hynix plans to be conservative about its DRAM capital expenditures in 2017 and at present the company does not plan to undertake any significant capacity expansions. In the meantime, further increase of DRAM production using the 21 nm fabrication process and the start of 18 nm DRAM volume ramp in the second half of 2017 will automatically boost SK Hynix’s DRAM bit output — as memory cells get smaller, it is possible to produce more bits using one 300 mm wafer.
Meanwhile, analysts from TrendForce believe that DRAM bit demand in 2017 will surpass 20% year-over-year, whereas DRAM bit supply by various makers will increase by around 19% YoY. The imbalance between demand and supply is projected to create shortages of DRAM as well as keep prices at high levels. Apart from PCs, there are two more factors that are going to raise demand for memory: first, Intel’s upcoming Xeon platform ‘Purley’ is expected to drive demand; and second, higher-end Google Android-based smartphones are expected to receive a memory upgrade with top-of-the-range models holding 8 GB of LPDDR4/LPDDR4X.
NAND: 72-Layer 512 Gb Chips Due in Late 2017
Demand for NAND flash has been steadily increasing in the recent years because the industry is increasing output of NAND-based devices (e.g., smartphones, SSDs, consumer electronics, etc.) as well as its content per box (e.g., the entry-level Apple iPhone 7 now contains 32 GB of storage, up from 16 GB). To meet the growing demand, manufacturers expand production capacities and introduce higher-capacity 3D NAND memory chips. Just like its competitors, SK Hynix plans to boost production of NAND in general and launch new ICs.
SK Hynix started to mass-produce its 36-layer 128 Gb 3D MLC NAND (which it calls 3D-V2) chips in 2015 and these ICs have been primarily used for various removable storage products. Last year, the company also started to make 48-layer 3D NAND (3D-V3) ICs that are to be used for various types of memory cards, flash drives, embedded storage and SSDs. With its third-gen 3D NAND, SK Hynix focuses on 256 Gb (32 GB) TLC ICs. The latter are used to build various NAND packages with 256 Gb, 512 Gb, 1024 Gb, 2048 Gb and even 4096 Gb capacities, which can be used for a variety of applications.
Later this year SK Hynix intends to start volume production of 72-layer 3D TLC NAND (3D-V4) memory and this is where things start to get interesting. Initially, SK Hynix intends to produce 256 Gb 3D TLC ICs and these are going to be available already in Q2 2017, according to the company’s product catalog. Later on, sometimes in Q4, the company plans to introduce 512 Gb 3D TLC ICs (64 GB), which will help it to significantly increase capacities of SSDs and other devices featuring NAND flash. What is important about SK Hynix’s fourth-gen 3D NAND is that it will feature block size of 13.5 MB, which will increase the performance of such ICs compared to 3D-V3 and 3D-V2 that have a block size of 9 MB. At this point, we do not know whether SK Hynix intends to increase interface speed of its 512 Gb 3D-V4 ICs to compensate lower parallelism in lower-capacity SSDs, like Samsung did with its high-capacity 64-layer 3D V-NAND chips. What we do know is that SK Hynix’s catalog already includes NAND multi-chip packages of 8192 Gb capacity (1 TB) that will enable high-capacity SSDs in smaller form-factors (e.g., 2 GB single-sided M.2). Meanwhile, 64 GB NAND flash chips may force SK Hynix and its partners to abandon low-capacity SSDs (i.e., 120/128 GB) unless there is sufficient demand.
M14 Fab Gets Second Layer Floor
As reported earlier, SK Hynix also plans to start using the upper floor of its M14 facility to produce NAND memory this year. The company this week confirmed the plan, but revealed no specifics.
In any case, as the manufacturer continues to ramp up the M14 fab and its NAND flash output is increasing. Since SK Hynix is also gradually switching to 256 Gb (and 512 Gb starting from Q4), its NAND bit output is also gradually growing, which enables it to sell higher-capacity storage solutions.
SK Hynix also plans to start cleanroom expansion of the C2 fab in Wuxi, China, which will cost the company around $790 million and will take nearly two years. The C2 manufacturing facility is used to make DRAM and since manufacturing technologies involve more complex and lengthening production cycles, the cleanroom expansion will enable SK Hynix to maintain the current output of the C2 into the future. Keep in mind that the work is expected to be finished in April 2019, so do not expect the expansion to have any short-term effects on memory prices.
Related Reading:
- SK Hynix to Build a New NAND Fab, Upgrade Existing DRAM Fab
- SK Hynix Announces 8 GB LPDDR4X-4266 DRAM Packages
- SK Hynix Adds HBM2 to Catalog: 4 GB Stacks Set to Be Available in Q3
- Plextor Launches S2C SSDs: 16 nm SK Hynix TLC NAND and SMI SM2258
- Micron 3D NAND Update: 2D and 3D NAND Bit Crossover, Gen 2 Hits Production
Source: AnandTech – SK Hynix Lays Out Plans for 2017: 10nm-Class DRAM, 72-Layer 3D NAND
This Week In The Business: Influencers Passing Their Prime
QUOTE | “These days it is impossible to ‘buy’ endorsements from influencers in a way that makes any economic sense. The videos where someone is paid to promote a game they aren’t passionate about don’t deliver the performance needed to justify repeat spend, and the influencer loses subs, so in the end everybody…
Source: Kotaku – This Week In The Business: Influencers Passing Their Prime
Make a DIY Soft-Focus Camera Lens for $15
Sometimes clear focus isn’t what you actually want in a photo. Maybe you’re trying to create an impressionistic scene that evokes something other than literal reality. And one way to completely change your photos is to make your own soft-focus lens.
Source: LifeHacker – Make a DIY Soft-Focus Camera Lens for
Surgical robot makes highly precise eye injection possible
For the first time ever, a team of eye surgeons were able to inject a thrombolytic drug directly into a patient’s retinal vein to dissolve a blood clot. It was a success despite the fact that the vein is as thin as human hair thanks to a surgical rob…
Source: Engadget – Surgical robot makes highly precise eye injection possible
GCC 7.0 vs. LLVM Clang 4.0 Performance (January 2017)
LLVM Clang 4.0 is set to be released in February while GCC 7 will be released as stable in March~April. For those curious how both compilers are currently performing, here is our latest installment of GCC vs. LLVM Clang benchmarking on Linux x86_64.
Source: Phoronix – GCC 7.0 vs. LLVM Clang 4.0 Performance (January 2017)
Why electric buses may very well be the future of getting to school
Enlarge / An electric school bus manufactured by Motiv. (credit: Motiv)
School bus driver Jenifer Chiodo takes a moment to admire the orange-pink sunrise while she gets ready to spend the next few hours on the roads. Then she grabs her clipboard and jots down the date, her name, and the mileage on the odometer before starting up the engine of a Thomas Built Type-A “mini” bus owned by her employer, First Student Inc.
Chiodo drives about 21 miles on her two morning routes and 40 miles on her four afternoon routes, transporting just one or two special-needs children at a time across the suburbs of Rocky Point, New York. A Type-A bus gets just nine to 10 miles per gallon, and Chiodo says she’s come to realize how unsustainable and unhealthy her driving can be.
“I don’t even want to think about how much carbon my bus spews out into the air every day and how it’s warming the atmosphere,” says Chiodo. “Kids are breathing in exhaust, I’m breathing in exhaust… I’m very happy to help get these students to school, but I wish there was a safer and more environmentally friendly way of doing so.”
Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Why electric buses may very well be the future of getting to school
Crowds are wise enough to know when other people will get it wrong
Enlarge (credit: flickr user: Hsing Wei)
The “wisdom of the crowd” is a simple approach that can be surprisingly effective at finding the correct answer to certain problems. For instance, if a large group of people is asked to estimate the number of jelly beans in a jar, the average of all the answers gets closer to the truth than individual responses. The algorithm is applicable to limited types of questions, but there’s evidence of real-world usefulness, like improving medical diagnoses.
This process has some pretty obvious limits, but a team of researchers at MIT and Princeton published a paper in Nature this week suggesting a way to make it more reliable: look for an answer that comes up more often than people think it will, and it’s likely to be correct.
As part of their paper, Dražen Prelec and his colleagues used a survey on capital cities in the US. Each question was a simple True/False statement with the format “Philadelphia is the capital of Pennsylvania.” The city listed was always the most populous city in the state, but that’s not necessarily the capital. In the case of Pennsylvania, the capital is actually Harrisburg, but plenty of people don’t know that.
Read 10 remaining paragraphs | Comments
Source: Ars Technica – Crowds are wise enough to know when other people will get it wrong
Microsoft Makes Windows 10 Insider Preview 15019 Official With Game Mode And Beam Streaming
Microsoft has just released a brand-new Insider Preview build for Windows 10, and if you’ve been anxious to give the new ‘Game Mode’ a test, it’s now available. However, it’s important to mention right from the get-go that this particular build ironically breaks many “popular” games, so if you’re worried about being stuck without your favorite
Source: Hot Hardware – Microsoft Makes Windows 10 Insider Preview 15019 Official With Game Mode And Beam Streaming
NVIDIA Releases Android 7.0 Update for 2015 SHIELD TV, Adds Amazon Video App
Earlier this month when NVIDIA announced the 2017 version of the SHIELD TV, the company also announced that the updated, Android 7.0-based OS that was at the heart of the miniaturized STB would also be coming to the existing 2015 models. Now, just a bit under 2 weeks after the retail launch of the new model, NVIDIA has released their promised update as Software Upgrade 5.0.2.
Under the hood, the big change here of course is the upgrade to Android 7.0 “Nougat.” The latest version of Android doesn’t do quite as much for Android TV devices as we’ve seen on tablets and phones, but of note it adds support for a recent apps page, writing to USB/SD storage, and a new picture-in-picture mode. The latest update also adds support for NVIDIA’s 2017 hardware accessories: the revised SHIELD Remote (Pepper) and SHIELD Game Controller (Thunderstrike).
Meanwhile the biggest user-facing change is the addition of an Amazon Video app. While NVIDIA has been focused on growing out the video/app selection of their STB since it launched in 2015, Amazon has until now been a very notable absence. For NVIDIA this is particularly important since Amazon is one of a handful of streaming video services supporting 4K video and HDR, making it one of the few services that can fully show off what the hardware can do (ed: and just in time to catch the full first season of The Grand Tour).
And on the subject of 4K and HDR, the update also rolls out full support for 4K and HDR GameStream. This feature had been in limited testing up to this point. The update also brings in improved support for NVIDIA’s recently updated GeForce Now Internet game streaming service, allowing SHIELD TV to connect to the updated GTX 1060/1080 hardware (which, I suspect, is a precursor to streaming via HEVC). On that note, it should be pointed out that while the GeForce Now for PC/Mac program was announced to be a pay-by-the-hour service, NVIDIA is retaining their monthly $8 subscription service for GeForce Now for SHIELD devices.
Going forward, the 2015 SHIELD TV will also eventually get support for Google Assistant and SmartThings Hub functionality. However like its 2017 counterpart, this feature is still under development and won’t be released until later this year.
Source: AnandTech – NVIDIA Releases Android 7.0 Update for 2015 SHIELD TV, Adds Amazon Video App
iPhone 7 Ousts Samsung Galaxy Note 4 As 'Device of Choice' For UK Defense Officials
An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Stack: Apple is to offer its iPhone 7 as the “device of choice” for the UK military’s secure communications. British telecom giant BT is said to be hardening the Apple device in order for it to be able to handle the Ministry of Defense’s military communications, including state secrets and highly-sensitive data. While BT has not provided further details on the development, due to security reasons, the telco is reportedly in the process of upgrading the iPhone 7 to support various modes of operation and to add secure apps or “storage containers,” as well as military-grade encryption features among other enhancements. The iPhone 7 will now replace Samsung’s Galaxy Note 4 smartphone, which was originally selected for the project, as security in the Samsung model was found to be inadequate.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Source: Slashdot – iPhone 7 Ousts Samsung Galaxy Note 4 As ‘Device of Choice’ For UK Defense Officials